Spooked by Netflix series 'Bad Boy Billionaires', Mehul Choksi moves Delhi HC

NEW DELHI: Spooked by Netflix’s upcoming web series titled 'Bad Boy Billionaires' featuring Vijay Mallya, Subrata Roy, Harshad Mehta and his nephew Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi on Wednesday petitioned the Delhi High Court seeking directions to show him the series featuring him before release.

Adjourning the matter to Friday, the High Court asked counsel for Netflix to receive instructions and explore the possibility of showing the web series to Choksi before release. Counsel for Netflix said that it was highly unlikely that the series would be shown to Choksi prior release.

As per available information, the first part of the web series does not feature Choksi. The first part of the series is slated to be released on September 2.



Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, counsel for Mehul Choksi argued that Choksi became aware of the Documentary’s imminent release on August 24 when he saw the trailer and started receiving phone calls from various persons across the world, including from Delhi, asking him whether he was part of the Documentary and to solicit his comments qua the same.

The petition reads “thereafter, the petitioner discovered that one of the persons seen speaking in the trailer was one Pavan C. Lall who had written a book titled “Flawed: The Rise and Fall of India’s Diamond Mogul Nirav Modi” where also the Petitioner’s name had been co-mingled with Nirav Modi’s”.

Aggarwal argued that Choski has been falsely accused of various crimes in India and is presently under investigation or standing trial by and before various authorities and/or courts as detailed comprehensively in the Petition.

He argued that “the Petitioner (Choksi) is entitled in terms of Indian law, i.e. Article 21 of the Constitution of India to a presumption of innocence and a free and fair trial. Reputation being a facet of a person’s life, the Petitioner is also entitled to a right to a reputation”.

The petition further reads “the settled principle has always been and must always remain that trial by media cannot be permitted and Courts are obligated to intervene and protect the rights of the accused where a premature or unfair portrayal in a motion picture would unfairly prejudice the accused person’s investigation or trial”.

Both Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi are the prime accused in $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scandal.