Media
Channels
have
been
covering
Sushant
Singh
Rajput's
death
case
extensively
during
the
lockdown.
In
response
to
the
alleged
media
trials,
last
month
a
petition
was
filed
by
4
Bollywood
associations
and
34
producers
seeking
a
restraint
on
channels
Republic
TV
and
Times
Now
from
making
or
publishing
what
the
plea
claimed
as
"irresponsible,
derogatory
and
defamatory" remarks
against
Hindi
film
industry
and
its
members.
Delhi
High
Court
Justice
Rajiv
Shakhdar,
on
Monday,
November
9,
is
set
to
hear
the
plea,
which
also
sought
to
restrain
news
channels
from
conducting
"media
trials"
of
Bollywood
celebrities
and
interfering
with
their
right
to
privacy.
The
suit
filed
by
DSK
Legal
on
behalf
of
the
plaintiffs,
also
stated
that
the
coverage
has
irreparably
damaged
the
industry's
reputation,
by
painting
the
entire
industry
as
criminals
seeped
in
the
drug
culture.
The
petitioners
urged
the
court
that
the
defendants
abide
by
the
Programme
Code
under
the
Cable
Television
Networks
Rules,
1994,
and
to
withdraw,
recall
and
take
down
all
defamatory
content
published
by
them
against
Bollywood.
The
plea
also
claimed
that
the
channels
in
question
have
been
regularly
mocking
the
Programme
Code
framed
under
Section
5
of
the
Cable
Television
Networks
(Regulation)
Act,
1995
and
contained
in
Rule
6
of
the
Cable
Television
Network
Rules,
1994,
which
governs
the
television
channels.
Listing
the
alleged
expressions
used
by
the
channels
to
defame
the
industry,
the
plea
said,
words
like
"dirt",
"filth",
"scum" and
"druggies",
"it
is
Bollywood
where
the
dirt
needs
to
be
cleaned",
"all
the
perfumes
of
Arabia
cannot
take
away
the
stench
and
the
stink
of
this
filth
and
scum
of
the
underbelly
of
Bollywood",
"this
is
the
dirtiest
industry
in
the
country",
and
"cocaine
and
LSD
drenched
Bollywood"
were
used
by
them.
Bollywood
representors,
including
Producers
Guild
of
India,
Cine
and
TV
Artiste
Association,
Film
and
TV
Producers
Council,
and
Screenwriters
Association
have
joined
hands
to
raise
voice
against
the
media
channels.
Some
of
the
production
houses
involved
include
Aamir
Khan
Productions,
Salman
Khan
Ventures,
Ad-Labs
Films,
Ajay
Devgn
Fflims,
Andolan
Films,
Anil
Kapoor
Film
and
Communication
Network,
Arbaaz
Khan
Productions,
Rohit
Shetty
Pictures,
Nadiadwala
Grandson
Entertainment,
and
many
others.
The
petitioners
also
added
that
they
do
not
seek
a
blanket
gag
order
against
media
reportage
into
the
investigation
of
Sushant
Singh
Rajput's
death,
but
merely
sought
a
perpetual
and
mandatory
injunction
against
the
defendants,
from
carrying
on
with
the
reportage
that
violates
applicable
laws.