Case filed against actor Urmila Sanawar for remarks against Sikkim governor Gautam

Actor Urmila Sanawar was booked in another case in Dehradun on Sunday for allegedly making objectionable and defamatory remarks against Sikkim governor Dushyant Gautam, hours after her arrest in Haridwar for allegedly trying to extort ₹ 5 crore from former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Suresh Rathore’s daughter.

Sanawar claims to be Rathore’s wife, but he has denied it. She was arrested days after the two consented before a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Dehradun on Friday to undergo polygraph and narco-analysis tests as part of the probe into the 2022 murder of a 19-year-old receptionist in Pauri Garhwal. The Supreme Court has held that a narcoanalysis test cannot be conducted on an accused without consent, and the results of such tests cannot form the sole basis of conviction.

The receptionist’s murder case was back in the news after her parents demanded an investigation into the alleged involvement of a “VIP in the case.” Sanawar released a purported telephonic recording with Rathore that linked Gautam, the then BJP Uttarakhand in-charge, to the case. The clip triggered outrage across Uttarakhand, prompting the state government to order a CBI probe in January.

The outrage intensified following Gautam’s appointment as governor. The receptionist’s parents protested in New Delhi, demanding the cancellation of his appointment.

The 19-year-old was employed as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort near Rishikesh. In September 2022, resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and his two staff members, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, murdered her. In May 2025, a trial court convicted the three and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

The fresh case was registered against Sanawar under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 353 (public mischief), 356 (defamation), and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of a woman) based on a Dehradun resident’s complaint.

The complainant cited a widely circulated video, saying Sanawar could purportedly be seen making deliberate, indecent, unruly, and malicious statements outside the CBI court in Dehradun against Gautam and BJP leader BL Santosh, a woman identified as Aarti Gaur, and others without any evidence. “It appears to be part of a well-planned conspiracy to incite anger and animosity, disrupt public peace, and cause irreparable damage to the social standing of the named individuals,” the complaint said.

Kailash Chandra Bhatt, a local police officer, said their investigation into the matter is underway.

Sanawar was arrested on Sunday after Rathore’s daughter, Deepika, filed a complaint accusing her of demanding ₹5 crore, issuing death threats, and posting objectionable comments on social media. Deepika alleged that Sanawar made a WhatsApp call and also demanded that her father transfer a property to Sanawar’s name, threatening to kill her if the demands were not met.

Deepika alleged that Sanawar tarnished her family’s image by telling the media that her father had illicit relationships and threatening to beat him with slippers on court premises.