After Kapil sharma goes on a Twitter rant against PM Modi about being asked for aR5lakh bribe from BMC, civic body releases illegal construction notices sent to the comedian; politicos join slugfest
Varun Singh (MID-DAY; September 10, 2016)

After comedian Kapil sharma created a stir on Twitter yesterday morning when he alleged that BMC was demanding a Rs 5 lakh bribe from him, the civic body did not waste time in firing salvos at him either. BMC officials released two letters from July, when they had issued a notice to Sharma for carrying out illegal construction.

The BMC had sent the notice to Sharma on July 16 and even carried out a demolition on august 4. Confirming the same, assistant Municipal Commissioner of K-West ward (Andheri), Parag Masurkar said, “We had issued a notice on July 16 after finding illegal activities going on in the bungalow. Since Sharma did not comply with our norms, we had carried demolition of illegal extensions on August 4.”

Bribe accusations probed
As for Sharma’s corruption allegations, the BMC is also carrying out an investigation. Chief Engineer of Vigilance Department, Manohar Pawar said, “We have taken note of Sharma's complaint. We have asked details of the person who was demanding the bribe from Sharma. After Sharma will provide details, we will inquire into the matter and take action against the culprit.”

DCP (Cyber) Sachin Patil said, “BJP MLA Ram Kadam gave a complaint at the cyber police station, requesting probe in the allegations levelled by Sharma on Twitter against unknown BMC officials who asked him for a bribe. Since the matter comes under the purview of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), we are transferring this case to the ACB.”

Political slugfest begins
Even as an inquiry is yet to ascertain the truth, politicians across party lines have already picked sides. While the Chief Minister was prompt in responding to Sharma’s tweet and has ordered an inquiry, the opposition is calling the BMC a corrupt organisation and blaming Sena-BJP for it.

Meanwhile, the ruling sena-BJP alliance in the civic body is releasing letters and other documents on Sharma. Congress leader Nitesh Rane wore a mask of Sharma’s face and uploaded a video in which he said that problems faced by this person are being heard by the government, so he is wearing the mask and speaking out about his troubles. He also tweeted, “What’s the use of reacting to 1 Kapil sharma. There are many Kapil Sharmas in Mumbai who face the same trouble with the BMC every day, act on them too or its just another show of Comedy Nights with Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray.”

BMC leaders pitch in
Even leaders in the BMC didn’t let go of the opportunity. Rais Shaikh, Group Leader, Samajwadi Party said, “Shame that people have to go through this. BMC should contact Sharma and take details for action.” Then, Sanjay Nirupam, Mumbai Congress Chief, said, “Shiv Sena-BJP ruled BMC is the most corrupt municipality in the world. Nothing works here without a bribe.”

After the allegations of illegal extensions came up, Nirupam sided with Sharma further and said, “Why only Kapil Sharma’s house, illegal constructions exist in CM’s official bungalow and BMC headquarters too. The Maharashtra BJP office is illegal.”

Vivek Oberoi's SOS call to the ministry to save Great Grand Masti has paved the way for a clearance cell to plug online leaks
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 8, 2016)


On July 5, two weeks ahead of its nationwide release on July 22, a pirated copy of Indra Kumar's adult comedy, Great Grand Masti, featuring Vivek Oberoi, Riteish Deshmukh and Aftab Shivdasani, was leaked online and shared across 1000 sites over four days. The original leak was hosted on several peer-to-peer sharing websites like Kickass Torrents and The Pirate Bay. According to the cyber crime cell, the leaked copy had a 'Censor Copy' watermark. The implication was that it was created from a sample copy sent by the producers to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for review.

While the submissions of all films were immediately digitised via the Digital Cinema Package (DCP) by CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani (Mirror, August 11), piracy remains rampant issue in one of the highest tax-paying industries in the country.

"I remember leaving a message to Information & Broadcasting Minister of State, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, at 10.30 pm on the day of the leak. He returned my call at midnight and asked me to fly down to Delhi the next morning," recalls Vivek Oberoi, who accompanied by Jitendra and Ashok Thackeria and Balaji Telefilms' Group CEO, Sameer Nair, met the minister. Delhi Commissioner of Police, Alok Kumar Verma who was present at the meeting, and Law & Justice, Information Technology Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, a close friend of Vivek's, also came to their rescue. "Rathore is the most pro-active minister I've met. He asked us to get a judicial order from the Bombay High Court for a blanket ban on the online sites." Back in Mumbai they roped in lawyer Hitesh Jain, ALMT Legal, as consultant and advisor.

Two breakthrough orders were passed. The first was a "John Doe order" under which the police arrested the people responsible, even though there was no specific pirate named. The second was an order in an "intermediary suit" according to which all Internet Service Providers (ISP - BSNL, MTNL, Airtel, Vodafone) were asked to ensure that the film was not supplied using their networks.

The piracy was stopped in its tracks but the adult comedy had already been downloaded over a hundred thousand times by then and losses mounted to crores. "The laws couldn't help us but it has helped several producers since," asserts Vivek informing that a single-window clearance format is being worked upon by Rathore, film producers and Deputy Commissioner of Cyber Crime, Sachin Patil, whereby a single authority can be approached in such cases. "Once a complaint is made to this new cell, a pan-India order to all ISPs will be sent out and the pirated copy will be blocked, a fine imposed and the pirate arrested. It's still in the nascent stages but it's the most effective measure to be imposed yet."

When Rustom released on August 12, the film began to appear online in its first weekend. The leaks were nipped in the bud with a judicial order and a Rs 3 lakh fine. "Action is important within 24 hours because piracy, like cancer, spreads fast and keeps multiplying," Vivek cautions. "According to the new order, not just the pirated CDs and DVDs will be confiscated but also the machines used for the copying the film to discs and pen-drives. This helped Rustom."

Sajid Nadiadwala also made a one-of-a-kind decision to stop the piracy by not releasing Dishoom in the single screens from where it could be duplicated. Vivek informs that a pirated copy of Great Grand Masti was being screened in one such theatre and tickets had been sold. "I contacted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and within 30 minutes a police raid was conducted and the theatre owners arrested. The single-window system for antipiracy will also take into account these piracy hubs and block them permanently," he asserts.