Kareena Kapoor gets legal notice over Quranic verse pendant

Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor Khan has been served a legal notice over her wearing a 30-carat emerald pendant engraved with Ayat-ul-Kursi, a verse from the holy Quran, as part of her Diwali appearance, Indian media reported on Wednesday.

The notice was sent by Congress leader and national media coordinator Abbas Hafeez and also named celebrity stylist Rhea Kapoor, who styled Kareena and described the pendant as an heirloom of the erstwhile Bhopal royal family, according to the Indian Express.

The notice, dated November 11, objected to the manner in which the Quranic inscription was displayed in photographs and other content shared on social media.

It sought the removal of the photographs, videos and related posts from social media accounts under Kareena and Rhea’s control, as well as a public apology and an assurance that the inscription would not be presented in a manner that could compromise its religious sanctity.

The controversy began after Kareena shared photographs of her Diwali look on Instagram, wearing a beige kaftan by designer Punit Balana and a matching turban, along with the emerald pendant engraved with Ayat-ul-Kursi.

Ayat-ul-Kursi is the 255th verse of Surah Al-Baqarah and is among the most widely recited verses of the Quran.

Rhea, in an Instagram post describing the outfit and jewellery, said the actor was wearing a 200-year-old kalgi from the Nawab of Bhopal and the Begum of Bhopal’s 30-carat emerald bearing the inscription of Ayat-ul-Kursi.

The legal notice centred on the manner in which the sacred verse was presented and whether its use as jewellery could compromise its religious sanctity.

It was not immediately clear whether Kareena Kapoor Khan or Rhea Kapoor had responded to the notice.