Bollywood Producers, Production Companies Approach Delhi HC Against Republic TV, Arnab Goswami, Times Now

Four leading Bollywood industry associations and 34 producers have filed a suit at the Delhi High Court against Republic TV , Arnab Goswami, Times Now and others, reports Bar and Bench. 

In a series of tweets Bar and Bench reported that the suit against Republic TV, Arnab Goswami, Pradeep Bhandari, Times Now, Rahul Shivshankar and Navika Kumar seeks to refrain the TV channels against making “irresponsible, derogatory and defamatory remarks against Bollywood as a whole” and members of Bollywood. 

The suit also sought to refrain the news channels from “conducting media trials” of Bollywood celebrities. 

The suit comes even as both Times Now and Republic TV have run news stories and television debates about a “drug mafia” in Bollywood. 

Aamir Khan productions, Ajay Devgan films, Dharma productions, Rohit Shetty Productionz, Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies are among those who have gone to court. 

The suit also sough restraint on the usage of words like “filth” “scum” and “druggies” used by news channels against Bollywood celebrities, Bar and Bench reported. 

This comes after the relentless coverage on the Sushant Singh Rajput death case where they have repeatedly claimed Bollywood killed him. The news channels also regularly read alleged WhatsApp chats among celebrities and claimed they were all looking for drugs. 

Earlier, Rajya Sabha MP and actor Jaya Bachchan  had made a speech in Parliament criticising the vilification of celebrities of Bollywood. 

″Entertainment industry in our country which provides direct employment every day to 5 lakh people and indirect employment to 5 million people. At a time when the financial situation is in a depressing state, and employment is at the worst level, in order to divert attention of the people, we are being used to be flogged by the social media and the government’s non support,” Bachchan had said.

 “Jis thaali mein khaatein hain, usi mein chhed kartein hain (They bite the hand that feeds them),” Bachchan had said in reaction to BJP MP Ravi Kishan’s speech in the Lok Sabha.