A sedition case was filed against Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan in Kanpur on Tuesday for his “intolerant” and “anti-national” statement from a day ago, reported Indian news agency ANI.
The hearing for the case has been scheduled for Dec 1.
Advocate Manoj Kumar Dixit, who filed the case against the actor, maintained that Khan’s remarks amounted to sedition.
The case has been filed under Indian Penal Code Section 124 A (sedition), 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on religious grounds), 153 B (Imputations) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief).
In response to the criticism he has received, Aamir Khan in a statement on Tuesday said he stands by his comments, adding that “neither I, nor my wife Kiran, have any intention of leaving the country”.
He added: “We never did [have any intention of leaving], and nor would we like to in the future. Anyone implying the opposite has either not seen my interview or is deliberately trying to distort what I have said. India is my country, I love it, I feel fortunate for being born here, and this is where I am staying.”
Just a day ago, Khan had said he was “alarmed and shaken” by the number of incidents related to extremism in India.
Addressing an audience at the Ramnath Goenka journalism awards, the actor known for his unique and outstanding on-screen work said growing insecurity in India has alarmed him, adding that he and wife Kiran Rao do not feel the country was safe for their children.
“My wife Kiran Rao even suggested we should probably leave India,” Aamir told the audience.
Aamir Khan claimed his sense of insecurity has increased in the past few months and laid stress upon those in power to strongly condemn such incidents.
In response, Senior Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam on Tuesday slammed Aamir Khan’s “alarm” over extremism in India, saying he should “go to Pakistan” if “he does not want to stay here”.
