After Sacred Games controversy, petitioner files plea seeking regulation of OTT web series content

New Delhi: A lawyer who has filed plea seeking removal of contents in the _Sacred Games_ web series, on 17 August requested the Delhi High Court to issue directions for regulating the contents of series of over-the-top (OTT)  media services. [caption id=“attachment_4626481” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] File image of Vikramaditya Motwane, Saif Ali Khan, Anurag Kashyap at the trailer launch of Sacred Games[/caption] A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V. Kameswar Rao transferred the application to another bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Chander Shekhar, who was hearing the plea earlier. Nikhil Bhalla, through advocate Shashank Garg, has filed the public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the removal of two contents from Sacred Games that according to him "tarnished" the image of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The lawyer has claimed that the series incorrectly depicted historical events such as Bofors scandal, Shah Bano case, Babri Masjid demolition and communal riots. Now, he has filed another application seeking amendment of his public interest litigation. In the fresh application, Bhalla has requested the court to issue directions or guidelines for regulating the over-the-top media service providers operating within the country or setting up a grievance cell against OTT services. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on 20 September. Over-the-top media services provider Netflix’s Sacred Games series is based on author Vikram Chandra’s similarly titled novel. It has been directed by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane . The web series has episodes on the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi government, the Bofors scandal and the Shah Bano case that created a storm during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure as Prime Minister.