TIMES NEWS NETWORK (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 3, 2020)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain the petition by OTT platform Netflix against a Bihar court order restraining it from streaming a docuseries named ‘Bad Boy Billionaires’ allegedly based on rise and fall of billionaires, including Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Subrata Roy and other business tycoons.

Soon after Netflix announced the web series, which was to be telecast from Wednesday, two petitions were filed against the show. Diamond merchant Mehul Choksi, accused in the PNB scam, filed a petition in the Delhi High Court which refused to pass interim order. The second petition was filed by the Sahara Group in a court in Bihar which directed Netflix not to telecast the documentary.

Netflix moved the apex court but a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde refused to entertain its plea. The court said an appeal against the lower court order could not be filed directly in the SC and asked it to approach the Patna high court. “This is not the proper procedure. You should have gone to the high court,” the bench said.

Sahara Group has also filed a criminal complaint against Netflix and directors of the documentary under the Information Technology Act, Indian Penal Code and the Trademarks Act.