Delhi HC to hear plea against serial 'Sacred Games' for allegedly defaming Rajiv Gandhi

A plea was filed in the Delhi High Court on Thursday seeking removal of certain scenes from the Netflix series 'Sacred Games', claiming that some of its content was derogatory to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Picture taken from Nawazuddin Siddui's Twitter account.

NEW DELHI: A plea was filed in the Delhi High Court on Thursday seeking removal of certain scenes from the Netflix series 'Sacred Games', claiming that some of its content was derogatory to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The plea, which alleged that certain scenes and dialogues in the show defamed the late Congress leader, was first mentioned earlier in the day before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar, which allowed it to be listed sometime later. When the matter came up for hearing in the afternoon, the acting chief justice recused from hearing it without assigning any reason. The plea will now be heard by a different bench on Thursday. The petition, filed through advocate Shashank Garg, contends that the show, starring Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, "incorrectly depicts historical events of the country like Bofors case, Shah Bano case, Babri Masjid case and communal riots". The plea seeks directions to Netflix Entertainment, the show's producer -- Phantom Films Production Ltd -- and the Centre to ensure "in toto" removal of the allegedly offensive scenes and derogatory remarks made directly or indirectly against the former Prime Minister or his family. The first season of the show, comprising eight episodes, was released on July 6 and is available in 190 countries in four languages, the petition said. Set in the backdrop of Mumbai's shady bylanes, the series revolves around Sartaj Singh, a seasoned and cynical police officer, played by Saif Ali Khan, who receives a call and tips to capture the ganglord Ganesh Gaitonde, enacted by Siddiqui. "Sacred Games" has been directed by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane.  The series is much talked-about for its sex scenes, use of profanity and expletives. The web series also stars Radhika Apte, Surveen Chawla, Karan Wahi, Jatin Sharma, Neeraj Kabi, Aamir Bashir, etc.