Special court orders case against Karnataka minister Jarkiholi over remarks on ‘Hindu’ word

Bengaluru: A special court in Bengaluru has issued orders for the registration of a criminal case against Karnataka minister and Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi over a controversial statement made by him in 2022 regarding the word ‘Hindu’.
During an event in Belagavi in November 2022, Satish Jarkiholi, who was then the Congress Karnataka working president, had claimed that the word ‘Hindu’ was Persian. He suggested that the term had no connection to India and said its meaning was derogatory.
“Where did the word ‘Hindu’ come from? Is it ours? It’s Persian, which covers places such as Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. What does it have to do with Bharat? How did the word ‘Hindu’ become yours? This must be discussed,” he had said.
“Look at WhatsApp, Wikipedia about where the word came from. It’s not yours. Still, you are carrying it. It’s not your word,” Jarkiholi insisted, speaking in Hindi. “If you understand the meaning of the word ‘Hindu’, you’ll be ashamed. The meaning is very dirty. This is already on the website. You are imposing on us a religion, a word that comes from somewhere else,” he had said.
His remarks sparked outrage and led to a legal petition filed by lawyer Dilip Kumar under Section 397 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Responding to the petition filed by the lawyer, the Special Court of People’s Representatives in Bengaluru issued orders on Saturday for the initiation of a criminal case against Jarkiholi.
Jarkiholi’s remark left the Congress embarrassed. The party’s high command had to step in and issue a statement describing the minister’s remarks as “deeply unfortunate”.
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala condemned Jarkiholi’s comments, emphasising that Hinduism is a way of life and an integral part of Indian civilization. Surjewala stressed the importance of respecting all religions and beliefs, denouncing Jarkiholi’s statement.
“Hinduism is a way of life and a civilisational reality. Congress built our nation to respect every religion, belief and faith. This is the essence of India. The statement attributed to Satish Jarkiholi is deeply unfortunate and deserves to be rejected. We condemn it unequivocally,” Surjewala tweeted.
The Congress’ state unit chief DK Shivakumar also took a similar stand. “Satish Jarkiholi’s statement is his personal opinion and not the Congress party’s opinion, we will ask for his explanation on the same. Congress Party supports all religions and does not agree with his statement,” he told ANI.
In response, Jarkiholi clarified his remarks, stating that he was merely referring to information from sources like Wikipedia and articles by various authors, rather than offering his interpretation.
The minister has not responded to the court order.