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The High Court has in a major development struck down the First Information Report (FIR) pressed against famous comedian Bharti Singh and veteran actor Shekhar Suman. The case was based on their comment on stage, which they made: Ya Allah, rasgulla, sahi bhalla, which some groups believed was offensive and caused complaints.

The court noted that the statement was an expression of humor and it was not meant to offend religious feelings. It focused on the relevance of freedom of speech and expression in artistic performances and warned against the abuse of the laws to censor comedy.

The actress Bharti Singh and the producer, Shekhar Suman, had insisted that the statement was in the spirit of light humor and had no ill intent behind it. The suppression gives a sigh of relief to the artists and establishes some precedence in similar cases of comedians.

The entertainment fraternity has hailed the decision, though there are some organizations that were not happy. This decision affirms the equilibrium between social harmony and creative freedom in India.