PIL to ban Netflix series "IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack" withdrawn from Delhi HC after Netflix's disclaimer

New Delhi: The PIL seeking direction to ban Netflix's series "IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack" has been withdrawn from the Delhi High Court. The petitioner, through counsel, stated that Netflix's addition of a disclaimer clarifies the real names of the terrorists involved in the hijacking and addresses the concerns raised in the PIL.
Recently, the PIL was moved by Surjit Singh Yadav, Chief of Hindu Sena, to seek a ban on Netflix's series, namely "IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack." The PIL alleged that the series distorts the actual identities of the terrorists involved in the hijacking.
The petitioner through Advocate Shashi Ranjan has approched the court against the television miniseries "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack," directed by Anubhav Sinha, citing inaccuracies in its portrayal of the 1999 hijacking of Indian Flight 814.
The petition claimed that the miniseries erroneously assigns Hindu names such as "Bhola" and "Shankar"--names associated with Lord Shiva--to the real hijackers Ibrahim Akhtar, Shahid Akhtar Sayeed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Mistry, and Shakir.
This, according to the petitioner, distorts the identities of the hijackers, misrepresents historical events, perpetuates harmful stereotypes, and offends the sentiments of the Hindu community. The petitioner seeks the court's intervention to prevent further public misunderstanding and potential harm.
The plea mentioned that India's Constitution, which upholds secularism and religious harmony in a multi-religious society, mandates mutual respect for all religions as a fundamental right.
It asserts that film producers, directors, and actors have a constitutional duty to avoid disturbing religious feelings and sentiments. Consequently, the Cinematograph Act, 1952 was enacted by Parliament to regulate feature films and ensure they adhere to these principles. The plea seeks the court's intervention to address these concerns in the context of the miniseries "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack."
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has reportedly summoned Netflix's content head in response to accusations on social media that the makers of "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack" deliberately altered the names of the hijackers to "Bhola" and "Shankar."
According to the reports, Netflix India's officials recently met with the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to address concerns about the series "IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack." Following the meeting, Netflix has committed to reviewing the series and updating the disclaimer to include the real names of the hijackers. Additionally, Netflix assured that future content on their platform will be more sensitive to national sentiments.