Anushka Sharma, Amazon Prime Video served notice for allegedly defaming Sikh community in Paatal Lok

Anushka Sharma and Amazon Prime Video were served a notice from the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday. A petition was filed against the makers of  Paatal Lok, alleging that the show defamed the Sikh community.

The notice of motion was issued to the Union of India and 15 other respondents by the bench of Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, reported Indo-Asian News Service. According to the report, the petitioner has objected to episode number three on "A History of Violence" that was set in a village in Punjab.

Anushka Sharma. Image from Twitter @bollywoodchickz

“The respondents have purposely and maliciously within intent of creating communal disharmony and caste-based clashes have shown two communities in a bad light,” the petitioner-advocate Gurdeepinder Singh Dhillon said.

Manjinder Singh Sirsa, a former Akali Dal MLA and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee president had earlier tweeted his objections. He wrote that the series must be banned for maligning 'religious harmony.'

Here is the tweet

Sikhs are Saviours of women. The whole world recognises Sikhs for their Sewa and Humanity but shame on @AnushkaSharma @PrimeVideoIN for showing Sikhs as Rapists
The show #pataallok showed Amritdhari Sikh watching the rape or as silent participants of Rape@ANI @republic @ZeeNews pic.twitter.com/iQbGd06imN

— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) May 23, 2020

Bharatiya Janata party MLA Nandkishore Gurjar too filed a complaint against Sharma for allegedly using a photo of his in the series without his permission.

Here is the tweet

👉मेरी स्वंय की गुर्जर जाती जिसका गौरवशाली इतिहास है, उनका चित्रण डकैत एवं गलत कार्यो में शामिल एवं अन्य पंजाब के जाट (जट) समाज को भेदभाव वाला, ब्राह्म्ण, त्यागी को आपराधिक प्रवृत्ति का दिखाकर एवं आपस में जातीय भेदभाव आपसी वैमनस्यता को बढ़ावा देने का कार्य किया गया है।
3/7 pic.twitter.com/TzvoczFXos

— Nandkishor Gurjar (@nkgurjar4bjp) May 23, 2020

According to a report in The Indian Express, Indra Hang Subba, MP from Sikkim too wrote to I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar regarding a sexist slur used by one of the characters on the show. The complaint stated that more than 10.5 million people in India speak Nepali and have been deeply hurt by the incident.