Fact-Check: Does This Video Show Lawyer Saurabh Kirpal Dancing? No!

The video shows one Daman Choudhary, who is the co-founder of a fashion company named Runway Lifestyle.

Fact-Check | Those sharing the video have misidentified one Daman Choudhary as lawyer Saurabh Kirpal.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A video which shows a person dancing to a Bollywood song is going viral on the internet.

Those sharing the video have identified the person as Saurabh Kirpal, who is a senior advocate and the son of former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhupinder Nath Kirpal.

What is the claim?: The post is being shared in poor taste, with users claiming that Kirpal could be the next CJI and that is why the Supreme Court is treating the same-sex marriage case with importance.

An archive of the post can be seen here.  

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

(More archives to similar claims can be found here, here, and here.)

Are these claims true?: No, the viral claim is false.

• The video dates back to January 2022 and shows one Daman Choudhary, who is the co-founder a fashion company called Runway Lifestyle.

How did we find out?: A reverse image search led us to the original video posted on an Instagram page called 'damandiaries'.

• The video was uploaded on 8 January 2022 and its caption mentioned, "Finally dancing to one of my most favourite track of the season."

• The account's bio said "digital creator" and identified the user as the co-founder of a fashion company named Runway Lifestyle.

The account's bio also mentioned "Impressionist."

(Source: Instagram/Screenshot)

• On checking the company's website, we found the person's full name was Daman Choudhary.

Saurabh Kirpal clarifies: Kirpal took to Twitter to clarify that the person dancing in the video is not him.

• He also criticised those sharing the video for mocking somebody in this manner, calling it "disgusting homophobia."

Why is the claim being shared?: Kirpal, who openly identifies as a gay man, was recently recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointing him as a Delhi High Court judge.

• The collegium had disagreed with the Centre which expressed its concern over Kirpal's openness about his sexual orientation.

What is the same-sex marriage case about?: The apex court is hearing a case where petitioners are demanding the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.

• The matter is being heard by a five-judge Constitution bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud.

Conclusion: It is clear that social media users are sharing a video of a person dancing by misidentifying him as Saurabh Kirpal.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)