‘Hindus Will Cease to Exist in 150 Years’: Madhya Pradesh HC’s Remark Over Caste Hate, Orders NSA Action
After a video from Damoh showed an OBC man washing an upper-caste villager’s feet, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered NSA action
The Madhya Pradesh High Court at Jabalpur Bench recently took suo motu cognizance of a shocking incident from Damoh district, where a member of the OBC community was humiliated by upper-caste villagers and forced to wash the feet of a man accused of selling liquor.
The bench, comprising Justices Atul Sreedharan and Pradeep Mittal, directed the police and district administration to invoke the National Security Act (NSA) against all those visible in the video of the incident.
Around October 10–11, 2025, in Gram Satariya, Damoh, one Annu Pandey, a member of the general community, was reportedly found drunk and accused of selling liquor in a self-proclaimed dry village. The alleged victim, belonging to an OBC community, had used artificial intelligence to create a meme showing Pandey with a garland of footwear. Although he deleted the meme after objections, upper-caste villagers allegedly convened a Panchayat meeting to decide his “punishment".
According to the court order, the Panchayat gathered at a temple, where the victim was surrounded by a mob, coerced into washing Pandey’s feet, and forced to drink the same water as atonement. The entire episode was captured on video and circulated across social media and YouTube channels such as Satya Hindi-MP, Punjab Kesari, and Lallantop. In another video, the victim was seen reading out a statement, apparently under duress, saying that Pandey was his “guru” and that the controversy was exaggerated.
The High Court noted that the police had initially registered an FIR under Sections 296 and 196(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), but criticised the choice of provisions, observing that Section 296 was “inapplicable". The bench directed that Sections 196(2), 351, and 133 of BNS be added to the FIR, as the incident took place inside a temple and involved coercion and use of force.
Expressing deep anguish, the court said the “repeated instances of caste-related violence and discriminatory actions in Madhya Pradesh are shocking.” Referring to past incidents, including the case of a general-category man urinating on a tribal person, the bench said such acts expose a “rotting social fabric” where caste identity is flaunted to the detriment of the entire Hindu community.
“Every caste now takes pride in its identity and leaves no measure unturned to demonstrate it,” the judges remarked, adding that if such trends continue unchecked, “Hindus will cease to exist within a century and a half, fighting amongst themselves".
While the court clarified that it would not ordinarily direct the police to invoke the NSA, it said the gravity of this incident and the resentment brewing within the victim’s community necessitated immediate action. It warned that delay could lead to retaliatory violence, rendering police intervention ineffective.
Calling the incident an “evil symphony of caste acrimony,” the bench directed the Damoh police and administration to proceed under the NSA against all identifiable persons visible in the video. Court fixed the matter for further hearing on October 15, 2025, to monitor compliance.
Case Title: Court on its own motion vs. DGP (M.P), Home Secretary (M.P), Collector Damoh, Superintendent of Police, Damoh
Order Date: October 14, 2025
Bench: Justices Atul Sreedharan and Pradeep Mittal