Mehul Choksi has offered to join the investigation through video conferencing.
NEW DELHI: Netflix, on Wednesday, strongly opposed absconding diamond merchant Mehul Choksi’s appeal seeking preview of its upcoming series “Bad Boy Billionaires” stating that Choksi is an absconder and is evading joining the investigation by agencies in the $2-billion PNB scandal .
Appearing on behalf of Choksi, Advocate Vijay Aggarwal said that Choksi has offered to join the investigation through video conferencing. Taking a dig at Choksi, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul appearing on behalf of Netflix described Choksi’s offer as “magnanimous”.
Kaul said that there are red alert notices issued against Choksi who is trying to invoke the extraordinary jurisdiction of the Delhi High Court seeking to regulate OTT content and preview of the series.
Kaul informed the High Court that the upcoming series is nothing but an “amalgamation of interviews, former employees, books and a source chart (mentioned in the series)”.
Questioning Choksi whether he has joined the investigation, the division bench headed by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court verbally remarked “We want to know whether your (Choksi) conduct is consistent with your claim to fair trial”.
Advocate Vijay Aggarwal challenged the order passed by the Single Bench of the High Court stating that the order passed by the Single Bench declining preview of the docuseries was a “non-speaking order”.
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Aggarwal said Choksi has not been declared a fugitive economic offender and the Constitution of India guarantees his (Choksi) fundamental right. He added that Netflix is an “unregulated entity”. He further said that the majesty of the Court is supreme and the sovereign has to step in since the Constitution guarantees fundamental rights.
Aggarwal informed the Court that extradition proceedings are going on and Choksi has “religiously” responded to notices by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED).
As reported by ET on Tuesday, maintaining that pre-publication censorship is not permissible, Netflix filed its response against Choksi’s appeal.
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In its response filed in Delhi High Court, Netflix said that Choksi was fully aware of the upcoming docuseries as he was interviewed by the producer of the series in May 2019.
The entertainment giant has also argued that the docuseries will not adversely impact the trial of Choksi. Describing him as an absconder, Netflix has said that the affidavit filed by Choksi in his appeal is neither attested nor apostilled.
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Instead, Choksi's address mentioned in the petition is that of an "entire township". Citing freedom of speech and expression, Netflix has said that even the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has informed the Delhi High Court that the government does not regulate the digital media.
As reported by ET on August 28, the Ministry while opposing Choksi's petition had informed the High Court that "freedom of speech and expression is cardinal and should be given full play".
The release of the series, which was slated for release on September 2, stands stayed by two Courts- Bihar and Hyderabad- on separate pleas file by Sahara Chairman Subrata Roy and B Ramalinga Raju who feature in the series.
Earlier this month, Patna High Court also refused to vacate stay granted by a lower Court in Bihar asking Netflix to approach the lower court for similar relief.
Quarantine And Chill: From ‘Money Heist’ to ‘Parasite’, Shows & Films You Can Watch During Lockdown
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The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world to a screeching halt. With a large chunk of the global population locked up indoors, a considerable number of people are turning to OTT platforms and streaming their favourite content to make the most of their quarantine.
We have prepared a comprehensive list of all the shows and films (both on OTT platforms and television) that you can watch during the lockdown to keep yourself entertained.
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world to a screeching halt. With a large chunk of the global population locked up indoors, a considerable number of people are turning to OTT platforms and strea..
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‘Ramayan’, an old classic from the yesteryears that kept the audience back in ‘80s hooked to their television sets, returned to Indian TV amid Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and took the TRP charts by storm. According to an Economic Times report, the three-decade-old saga by Ramanand Sagar earned a massive 170 million viewers in just four shows.
As viewers re-lived some of their favourite moments from the epic saga like Sitaharan and the iconic moment when Lord Rama defeated Ravana, the TRPs of Doordarshan skyrocketed.
DD National said on April 16, 7.7 crore people across the globe watched the show, making 'Ramayan' the highest watched entertainment program globally.
The last episode of ‘Ramayan’ aired on Doordarshan on April 20. If you didn’t get a chance to catch up on ‘Ramayan’ fret not. DD is now airing ‘Uttar Ramayan’ from 9 am to 10 am and 9 pm to 10 pm every day, which is an official follow up to the original show and chronicles the journey of Luv Kush.
‘Ramayan’, an old classic from the yesteryears that kept the audience back in ‘80s hooked to their television sets, returned to Indian TV amid Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and took the TRP charts by sto..
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Thanks to ‘Ramayan’ and ‘Mahabharat’, Doordarshan had become the most-watched Hindi entertainment channel in the lockdown period. Soon, it was announced that Pogo and Prasar Bharti had joined hands to air ‘Chotta Bheem’ on DD National.
One of the most popular kids series, which features Bheem and his friends in the fictional town of Dholakpur, airs on DD National every afternoon at 2 pm.
Needless to say, the show received a warm welcome from the audience, which consisted mainly of kids who enjoyed their favourite Bheem going on fun-filled adventures with his friends.
Thanks to ‘Ramayan’ and ‘Mahabharat’, Doordarshan had become the most-watched Hindi entertainment channel in the lockdown period. Soon, it was announced that Pogo and Prasar Bharti had joined hands t..
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Way before the battle between Marvel and DC Comics started, Indian kids had only one superhero to look up to, Shaktimaan. The show which originally aired on Doordarshan from 1997 to 2005, made its way back to India TV amid the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown.
The superhero television show had producer Mukesh Khanna playing the role of ‘Shaktimaan’, who acquired superhuman powers via meditation.
‘Shaktimaan’ airs on DD National on weekdays at 8 pm.
Way before the battle between Marvel and DC Comics started, Indian kids had only one superhero to look up to, Shaktimaan. The show which originally aired on Doordarshan from 1997 to 2005, made its wa..
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No conversation about classic TV shows from the yesteryears is complete without talking about the iconic ‘Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai’. The show is about the Sarabhais, a family living in the posh area of Mumbai. The show is filled with witty dialogues, tongue-in-cheek humour and, of course, the constant bickering between Maya and Monisha over the latter’s ‘middle class’ ways.
Those who have seen the show can vouch for its fresh humour and that it was way ahead of its times. Watch it for Maya’s sass, Monisha’s retorts and more than anything, for Rosesh’s poems!
‘Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai’ airs on Star Bharat every day at 10 am.
No conversation about classic TV shows from the yesteryears is complete without talking about the iconic ‘Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai’. The show is about the Sarabhais, a family living in the posh area of ..
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‘Khichdi’ and ‘Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai’ are two shows whose names are often taken in the same breath. ‘Khichdi’, like Sarabhai, reached cult status and got a massive fan following years after it finished airing. From Hansa’s comical translations from Hindi to English to Praful’s dim-witted demeanour, the show has fun characters, each with their own quirks.
Much like its contemporary ‘Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai’, ‘Khichdi’ is one show which is perceived to be ahead of its time in terms of humour and plot.
You can catch up on ‘Khichdi’ on Star Bharat every day at 11 am.
‘Khichdi’ and ‘Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai’ are two shows whose names are often taken in the same breath. ‘Khichdi’, like Sarabhai, reached cult status and got a massive fan following years after it finish..
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‘Money Heist’, originally, ‘La Casa De Papel’, is a Spanish heist crime drama that premiered in 2017 and is currently streaming on Netflix. The show is about a mysterious man named ‘Professor’ who recruits a group of eight people to rob the Royal Mint of Spain. Each of these eight people have city names and their own character traits which make them interesting.
As the crew takes over the Royal Mint of Spain, they face a series of challenges from rebellion among the hostages to the tactics of the elite police force. They end up stealing 2.4 billion euros and return in the next season to rob the Bank of Spain.
‘Money Heist’ is streaming now on Netflix.
‘Money Heist’, originally, ‘La Casa De Papel’, is a Spanish heist crime drama that premiered in 2017 and is currently streaming on Netflix. The show is about a mysterious man named ‘Professor’ who re..
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‘Panchayat’ is one show that enjoyed massive success, thanks to the lockdown. Starring the talented Jitendra Kumar, veteran Neena Gupta and Raghubir Yadav in titular roles, the web series is the story of an engineer, Abhishek, who, due to the lack of a better job option, joins a remote panchayat office as the secretary.
‘Panchayat’ received critical acclaim and widespread recognition upon its release. While critics appreciated it for its simple yet layered narrative, the audience loved the show because of its humour.
You can watch ‘Panchayat’ on Amazon Prime Video.
‘Panchayat’ is one show that enjoyed massive success, thanks to the lockdown. Starring the talented Jitendra Kumar, veteran Neena Gupta and Raghubir Yadav in titular roles, the web series is the stor..
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It’s not common to see a streaming giant, with the stature as high as that of Netflix, come up with a reality television game show. ‘Too Hot To Handle’, is one show, which thanks to the lockdown, was binge-watched by several Netflix subscribers.
The reality show is hosted by ‘Lana’, a virtual assistant that sets the rules which need to be followed by the contestants throughout the season. The show follows an original group of ten singles who are taken to a special villa to find love and earn $100,000. However, soon, the contestants are told that the prize money will be deducted if anyone on the island engages in sexual activity.
‘Too Hot To Handle’ became the #1 television program on Netflix in the week of April 20 and sparked a series of meme trends on social media platforms.
All episodes of the show are streaming now on Netflix.
It’s not common to see a streaming giant, with the stature as high as that of Netflix, come up with a reality television game show. ‘Too Hot To Handle’, is one show, which thanks to the lockdown, was..
Read More
Starring Vir Das, Manoj Pahwa, Ranvir Shorey and Ravi Kishan, ‘Hasmukh’ is a dark comedy web television series which premiered on Netflix on April 17,2020. The story follows a small-town man who also happens to be a serial killer.
‘Hasmukh’ landed in controversy after the High Court sought Netflix response to a lawsuit alleging that the show maligns the image of lawyers. The suit alleged that episode 4 of the first season alleges lawyers to be thieves, scoundrels and goons.
All episodes of ‘Hasmukh’ are streaming now on Netflix.
Starring Vir Das, Manoj Pahwa, Ranvir Shorey and Ravi Kishan, ‘Hasmukh’ is a dark comedy web television series which premiered on Netflix on April 17,2020. The story follows a small-town man who also..