New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday sent social media influencer Amir Shokeen to one-day judicial custody in connection with a viral video on social media depicting alleged racial harassment and humiliation of a Tripura man.
Delhi Police produced the accused before the duty judge at Tis Hazari Court on Friday, a day after arresting him from Karol Bagh area. According to officials, Shokeen will be produced before the court on Saturday.
The police had sought six days’ police remand for the accused, but his lawyer opposed the request.
Police had sought six days’ remand
Speaking to news agency IANS, lawyer Vineet Jain said that Shokeen was produced before the duty magistrate on Friday. The court said that the court has the jurisdiction to hear the remand application in this case.
Jain said that the police had filed an application seeking six days’ custody. However, the duty magistrate directed the accused to appear before the concerned court the next day. He has been remanded to judicial custody for one day.
Regarding the FIR filed by the Tripura Police against Amir Shokeen, the lawyer stated that he was aware of the matter but had not yet received a copy of the FIR. Therefore, no comment could be made at this time. He also stated that the Tripura Police were not present in court on Friday.
Controversial Video Went Viral on Social Media
Earlier, reports emerged that the Tripura Police had arrived in Delhi on Thursday to take Shokeen into custody following his arrest by the Delhi Police.
According to the police, the accused allegedly made the controversial video about a month ago. He faced widespread criticism after the video surfaced on social media.
Influencer Apologized
Following the controversy, Amir Shokeen apologized on social media. In a Facebook post, he claimed that the video was scripted and that the man in it was an acquaintance.
According to Shokeen, the man previously worked at a friend’s cafe in Ahmedabad. He described the video as humorous content and claimed the two were joking around. The influencer stated that he had no intention of insulting anyone.
Cases filed before
According to officials, this is not the first case against Amir Shokeen. Previous cases were filed against him under sections 323, 324, 504, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).