Rajkummar Rao Surrenders in Jalandhar; Secures Bail in 2017 Behen Hogi Teri Poster Case

Actor faces legal proceedings over controversial image of him as Lord Shiva on a motorbike, surrenders after summons delivery mix‑up and is granted conditional bail as his team argues it was artistic expression

Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao turned himself in at the JMIC court in Jalandhar on Monday, July 28, 2025, responding to a non‑bailable arrest warrant issued after he missed earlier hearings in an eight-year-old case. The case centers on a promotional poster from his 2017 film Behen Hogi Teri, depicting him as Lord Shiva astride a silver motorcycle—a portrayal that sparked outrage in Jalandhar when it was posted online on April 4, 2017.

During the subsequent hearing on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, Rao’s advocate Darshan Singh Dayal informed the court that the actor had not appeared because summons had been sent to an outdated Delhi address, while Rao currently resides in Mumbai. The defense argued this mix‑up prevented Rao from receiving notices in time.

Once the explanation was accepted and chargesheet submitted, the court granted Rao conditional bail, noting his prompt cooperation upon learning of the warrant. Charges in the case include Section 295A (outraging religious sentiments), Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), and Section 67 of the IT Act for online distribution of objectionable content. Non‑bailable warrants had previously been issued against Rao, as well as other individuals involved in the film’s promotion—though Shruti Haasan was later acquitted.

The legal team emphasized that the controversial imagery was part of a fictional narrative featuring a character in a jagrata (religious gathering), and had no intent to provoke religious offence. They also noted that Behen Hogi Teri had been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), and invoked Rao’s constitutional right to freedom of expression under Article 19(1)(a) .