New Delhi: A city court on Wednesday remanded Harsh Priya Singh and wife Ruby Jain of Malviya Nagar to 14-day judicial custody after a video allegedly showing them making racial remarks against three women from Arunachal Pradesh went viral on social media, drawing widespread backlash.Sessions judge Samar Vishal observed that “considering the facts and circumstances of the case, and the reasons given for seeking judicial custody, the application is allowed”. Saying so, he remanded the accused to judicial custody till March 10.The court noted that the two have been charged under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), of which Section 196 — promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of race — pertains to a non-bailable offence. Additionally, provisions of Section 3 of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 have been invoked against Jain, which are also non-bailable in nature.The defence opposed the charges, contending that the incident stemmed from a “simple neighbourhood argument” that escalated after the video had been circulated online. The counsel argued that Section 3 of SC and ST Act could not be applied in the case as the incident occurred within a residential complex, whereas the relevant provision applies to insults and intimidations committed in “public view”. The defence counsel also disputed the characterisation of the remarks as racist. “Instead, it is an example of stereotyping,” he submitted, adding that no specific derogatory terms targeting a particular community were used.
