The Australian Human Rights Commission has accepted a section 18C complaint against the Hindu Council of Australia (HCA), its president Mr Sai Paravastu and Ms Neelima Paravastu, the council’s head of PRO, Media & Marketing. The complaint was lodged by the Alliance Against Islamophobia (AAI) and is being legally represented by Birchgrove Legal.
The complaint concerns conduct between September 2024 and July 2025 and alleges that the HCA, Mr Paravastu and Ms Paravastu engaged in serious and repeated public acts of racial hatred against South Asian Muslims. According to the complaint, the conduct was primarily disseminated through social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and also through traditional media. The posts are alleged to be reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate people on the basis of their Muslim ethno-religious origin.
AAI said the behaviour of HCA members left Muslim community members feeling “marginalised and unwelcome in their own community.” “The HCA’s mission speaks of living in harmony with other religious and cultural communities, yet the behaviour we have experienced is the exact opposite,” an AAI spokesperson said. “As Muslim members of Australia’s diverse multicultural fabric, we cannot simply stand by while an organisation acts against the very principles it claims to promote.”
The complaint seeks a formal public apology from HCA and its committee members, immediate removal of the offending material from all platforms, an enforceable undertaking to cease further vilifying conduct, and compensation for harm and distress caused.
Moustafa Kheir, Principal Lawyer at Birchgrove Legal, said the publications “consistently depict Muslims, particularly those of South Asian descent, as inherently criminal, uniformly threatening to society, and as a group that should be excised or exiled from public places.” He described the alleged conduct as “threatening and exclusionary.”
The Australian Human Rights Commission has confirmed it cannot comment on individual complaints but is believed to have accepted the matter. The AHRC process would ordinarily allow the parties to attempt conciliation before any potential referral to a court.
Community voices critical of the alleged behaviour have also spoken up. Hindus for Human Rights Australia & New Zealand (HfHR ANZ) said it represents the majority of Hindus in Australia who reject “hate and othering.” “We represent the majority of Hindus in Australia who reject hate and othering. We will continue to foster friendships across faiths and cultures to build a strong, resilient and peaceful Australia,” the group said. In the same statement HfHR ANZ described the allegations as “disturbing” and stressed their ongoing work creating interfaith spaces and opposing Islamophobia alongside other social-justice causes.
The complaint places renewed attention on communal tensions and the responsibilities of organisations and leaders that claim to represent religious communities. If conciliation fails, outcomes could include enforceable undertakings or potential court action under the Racial Discrimination Act.
