Plea filed against Netflix series for 'insulting' Rajiv Gandhi
New Delhi, July 11: A petition, filed in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday, seeks the removal of certain content from "Sacred Games," a web series by over-the-top media services provider Netflix, on the grounds of insulting former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
It will come up for hearing on Thursday.
It was mentioned before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar but the bench recused from hearing the matter and listed it for another bench.
On Tuesday, a Congress activist in West Bengal filed a police complaint against actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, over-the-top media services provider Netflix, and the makers of "Sacred Games" for "insulting and abusing" Rajiv Gandhi.
The complainant said that the show had a scene in which Siddiqui, playing the protagonist, is seen and heard "abusing Rajiv Gandhi, calling him 'fattu', which was shown as pu*** in the subtitles".
The series is based on author Vikram Chandra's novel of the same name. It has been directed by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane.
The opening scene hits out at the Congress as there are episodes on Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi government, as well as Bofors scandal and Shah Bano cases that created a storm during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure as Prime Minister.
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Two FIRs lodged against Mithun Chakraborty for 'provocative' speech
Kolkata, Nov 6: Two FIRs have been lodged against actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty for allegedly making provocative statements during a BJP event in Salt Lake area near Kolkata last month, police said on Wednesday.
The complaints pertain to Chakraborty's speech on October 27 at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) in Salt Lake, during a BJP programme attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was in Kolkata to launch the party's West Bengal membership drive.
The first FIR was filed at the Bidhannagar South police station based on a complaint by an individual, while the second was lodged at Bowbazar police station.
"We have started an investigation into the case," a senior officer of Bidhannagar police said.
Shah was also present at the programme, which was organised to kick off the West Bengal leg of the BJP's membership drive. Shah had also felicitated Chakraborty for being honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award this year.
Although Chakraborty was unavailable for comment, BJP state president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar described the FIRs a result of "vendetta politics.".
Majumdar alleged that the TMC government "has once again used the police to unfairly target well-known actor and senior BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty".
He accused the chief minister of employing such tactics "to serve political interests" and claimed that the state government's actions were part of an ongoing attempt to discredit political opponents.
"There is nothing provocative in his speech. These are nothing but attempts to intimidate him by using police as a political tool," he said.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh dubbed the BJP's allegations as baseless.
"The allegations of political vendetta are baseless. He shouldn't have made such provocative remarks. The law will take its own course," he said.
Chakraborty, who received India's highest film honour, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, earlier this year, had asserted on October 27 that the 'masnad' (throne) of West Bengal would belong to the BJP after the 2026 assembly elections, promising to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal.
While speaking at the programme, Chakraborty, a BJP leader, said, "In 2026, the 'masnad' will be ours, and we will do everything to achieve the goal."
In an apparent reference to TMC MLA Humayun Kabir's communal remarks aimed at BJP workers during the Lok Sabha elections, Chakraborty had allegedly made provocative remarks.
Chakraborty cautioned that no one should attempt to intimidate saffron party voters into abstaining from voting in the next assembly elections.
He called upon the booth-level workers of his party to resist any such attempts.
