Mumbai, Mar 22: Cricketer Hardik Pandya is in legal trouble over a tweet allegedly disrespecting Dr BR Ambedkar. A special Jodhpur court on Wednesday directed the police to register an FIR against Pandya for a comment he posted on Twitter on December 26, 2017. According to petitioner D R Meghwal, the tweet insulted Ambedkar and hurt the sentiment of people in his community.

Pandya's tweet on his Twitter timeline read "Which Ambedkar ??? The one who drafted a cross law and constitution or the one who spread the disease called reservation in the country." Almost three months following the incident, Meghwal who claims to be a member of Rashtriya Bhim Sena in Rajasthan's Jalore district filed an application against the cricketer on Tuesday.

The Times of India quoted Meghwal who is an advocate by profession as saying, "I learnt about Pandya's comment through social media in January. It appeared quite derogatory for a figure like Ambedkar and was an attempt to spread hatred and create division in the society. He added saying, "By doing so, he has committed a serious crime and hurt the sentiments of my entire community." Meghwal further added that Pandya should be given adequate and suitable punishment for his "crass act".

Pandya is an all-rounder in the Indian cricket team. He was retained by Mumbai Indians for a whopping sum of Rs 11 crore in the recently held Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 22, 2018 08:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).