Supreme Court refuses to lift stay on release of Amitabh Bachchan starrer Jhund'
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to lift the stay on the release of Amitabh Bachchan starrer Jhund' and dismissed an appeal against the Telangana High Court order which had stalled the movie's screening over copyright row.
A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian dismissed the appeal filed by petitioner Super Cassettes Industries (T Series) against the October 19 order of the high court which had refused to interfere with the trial court order restraining the release of the movie.
The special leave petitions are dismissed. As a sequel to the above, pending interlocutory applications, if any, stand disposed of, the bench said in its order.
The film, based on the life of Vijay Barse, the founder of NGO Slum Soccer, was scheduled to be released this month on OTT platform Amazon Prime. The film was earlier scheduled to be released in May but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it did not hit the screens.
Hyderabad-based short-film maker Nandi Chinni Kumar has alleged copyright infringement against the filmmakers, who have refuted the allegation.
During the hearing, the apex court observed that it is an interesting case and it would direct that the trial will be completed within six months.
Counsel appearing for the filmmaker said that the movie would be useless in six months and they were willing to pay the person in question.
He said that amount of Rs 1.3 crore was agreed between the parties but now they are not adhering to the agreement.
Senior advocate P S Narasimha, appearing for Kumar, and others said that the court may direct for disposal of the case which is pending in the trial court within six months.
A trial court in Telangana had on September 17 stayed the release of the movie till the conclusion of the case. The decision of the trial court was upheld by the High Court on October 19.
Super Cassettes has said in their petition filed in the top court that they have invested a significant amount in production, distribution, marketing, and promotion and have also created third party rights on the film which is to be broadcast on a wide scale both nationally and internationally.
A cinematograph film is a perishable commodity and halting of the complex process that leads up to the release of the film at such a belated stage could prove to be fiscally ruinous for the petitioner and make the entire project financially unviable, the plea said.
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Delhi HC orders Rs 30 lakh compensation to kin of 3 deceased sanitation workers
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court has directed the city authorities to pay Rs 30 lakh compensation each to the families of three sanitation workers who died during manual scavenging in 2017.
The HC allowed the petition by the family members seeking higher ex gratia in accordance with a Supreme Court order in 2023 which increased the compensation payable to the dependents of the victims who lost their lives in manual scavenging to Rs 30 lakh from the existing Rs 10 lakh.
The family members said in the petition that the three sanitation workers died in August 2017 while cleaning a drain in Lajpat Nagar. The plea said the deceased were engaged by a Delhi Jal Board sub-contractor.
The petitioners said that after they died, a compensation of Rs 10 lakh was awarded to the family members. However, they prayed that the amount be increased to Rs 30 lakh.
"It can be seen that the directions issued by the Supreme Court were expressly made applicable to all the statutory bodies including corporations, railways, cantonments as well as the agencies under its control.
"Moreover, the Union and State governments were directed to ensure that the rehabilitation measures were taken with respect to sewage workers, including the family of those who have lost their lives. Specifically, it was directed that the compensation of Rs 10 lakh that was given to the family members of the deceased workers be enhanced to Rs 30 lakh," Justice Sachin Datta said.
The high court said necessarily, the ameliorative directions, strictures and the embargo imposed by the Supreme Court are applicable to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) as also to any agency that may be engaged by the board within any part of Delhi in connection with the work relating to the collection of sewage or carrying out connected works.
"Any disregard or violation thereto would invite strict consequences" as envisaged in the apex court verdict, it said.
Considering the reasoning given by the apex court, it would be a travesty if the entitlement of the family members of the deceased scavenging workers is confined to Rs 10 lakh, the high court said.
"The same would defeat the directions of the Supreme Court to enhance the compensation to Rs 30 lakh on the basis that the previously fixed compensation of Rs 10 lakh was fixed as far back as in the year 1993 and could not be considered to be an adequate compensation," it said, adding that the family members of the deceased sanitation workers are entitled to a compensation of Rs 30 lakh.
The high court said the remaining amount be paid to the family members within eight weeks.
Observing that manual scavengers have lived in bondage, systematically trapped in inhuman conditions for a long time, the Supreme Court had in October last year asked the Centre and state governments to completely eradicate manual scavenging across the country.
Passing a slew of directions for the benefit of people involved in manual scavenging, it had asked the central and state governments to pay Rs 30 lakh as compensation to the next of kin of those who die while cleaning sewers.
"The court hereby directs the Union and the States to ensure that the compensation for sewer deaths is increased (given that the previous amount fixed, that is, Rs 10 lakh) was made applicable from 1993. The current equivalent of that amount is Rs 30 lakh. This shall be the amount to be paid, by the concerned agency, that is, the Union, the Union Territory or the State as the case may be. In other words, compensation for sewer deaths shall be Rs 30 lakh," the Supreme Court had ordered.
It had also said that the authorities needed to take measures for the rehabilitation of the victims and their families.
