Writer Sarah Aboobacker wins plagiarism case
Mangaluru: Noted Kannada writer Sarah Aboobacker has won a legal battle against the makers of the 2011 national award-winning film 'Byari,' which she claimed was based on her much-acclaimed novel 'Chandragiriya Teeradalli.'
'Byari,' the first film in Beary language, directed by K P Suveeran and produced by Altaf Hussain, had won the Swarna Kamal for best film at the 59th national film awards.
Hussain also plays a character in a prominent role in the film.
She had moved the court against the film's producer and director saying the movie makers had used her story without permission.
Upholding her contention, the third additional district and sessions court here in its judgement directed Altaf Hussain, the producer, not to screen the movie anywhere henceforth.
The Judge B Muralidhar Pai noted that there was an infringement of her intellectual property rights.
It also directed the film makers to pay a compensation of Rs 2 lakh with interest for the period of trial in the case (eight years and 12 days) along with court costs.
The writer, in a press note here said her novel was published as a serial in 'Lankesh Patrike' and had been widely read with passion and much debated.
The brazen act of the film-makers in using her novel for the film without taking permission forced her to approach the court for justice, she said.
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BJP workers allegedly attack children during Christmas carol roadshow in Kerala’s Palakkad: Reports
Palakkad: A group of children celebrating Christmas through a carol roadshow was allegedly attacked by BJP workers in Kerala’s Palakkad district on Sunday night.
According to local reports, the incident occurred in Pudussery area of Palakkad, where over 25 children, mostly aged around 13, were moving from house to house singing Christmas carols. Reports state that a BJP worker identified as Ashwin Raj, along with others, allegedly assaulted the children and vandalised their musical equipment.
According to the police and eyewitness accounts, the children were using a band set that belonged to a local CPI(M) office, which had the party’s name written on it.
Allegedly objecting to this, the accused and his associates reportedly lured the children on the pretext of offering them money and then assaulted them. The band set used by the children was also smashed.
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The Town Police have arrested Ashwin Raj, a local BJP worker who has been named as the prime accused in the case. Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the remaining accused who fled the scene.
Speaking to the media, one of the injured children said, “We were using the band just for fun. When they saw that it had CPM written on it, they took us aside and beat us.”
"We had given the band set that was in our office out of love when the children asked for it. The fact that these young children, who do not know the intricacies of politics, were attacked shows the criminal mentality of the BJP workers," local CPIM leaders expressed outrage.
A police officer told PTI that the arrested accused is already booked under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA).
The sections invoked include Section 192 (provocation with intent to cause a riot), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and Section 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), police added.
