New Delhi | The Delhi High Court on Monday said that the actors cannot be held liable for the dialogues in the series while hearing a plea filed against Netflix and its web series ‘Sacred Games’ for allegedly defaming former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The plea filed by Nikhil Bhalla, a lawyer and member of the Congress party against Netflix sought directions to ensure removal of the allegedly offensive scenes and remarks made directly or indirectly against the former Prime Minister or his family. The plea further alleged that the series incorrectly depicts historical events of the country.
The plea stated,”The show Sacred Games has inappropriate dialogues, political attacks, and even speeches, which are derogatory in nature and harms the reputation of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi”.”We cannot afford to, in the name of freedom of speech, allow anything to be beamed in every home without regard to its impact on society,” the petition added.
Lawyers representing Netflix informed the High Court that all eight episodes have already been aired and nothing new will be aired. The Court has further scheduled the hearing of the matter on July 19.
Rajeev Sinha, a Congress party worker from West Bengal also filed a case against the web series alleging that the series was “misrepresenting facts during his (Rajiv Gandhi) regime”.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday expressed his opinion on the controversy saying “My father lived and died in the service of India. The views of a character on a fictional web series can never change that.”
BJP/RSS believe the freedom of expression must be policed & controlled. I believe this freedom is a fundamental democratic right.
My father lived and died in the service of India. The views of a character on a fictional web series can never change that.#SacredGames
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 14, 2018
Based on a 2006 thriller novel by Vikram Chandra of the same name, ‘Sacred Games’ is produced by Phantom Films and stars actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Saif Ali Khan and Radhika Apte in the lead roles. The series is jointly directed by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane.
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