Mumbai: Court refuses to restrain airing of web series on Telgi

Mumbai: A civil court in the city has rejected the plea seeking to restrain producers and makers of a web series on stamp paper scam kingpin and now-deceased Abdul Karim Telgi from releasing or airing it.
Telgi’s daughter and son-in-law had filed the suit seeking to restrain filmmaker Hansal Mehta, the production company Applause Entertainment Pvt Ltd. and OTT platform Sony from “streaming, airing promoting, directing, marketing, directing, releasing,” the web series ‘Scam 2003 - The Curious case of Abdul Karim Lala Telgi’.

The duo said that Telgi had contributed during his lifetime to charitable causes and sponsored the education of downtrodden children. They said they had watched a web series on share market stockbroker Harshad Mehta and at the end of the web series, there was a teaser that the producers are coming up with a second web series on the life of Telgi. They said that they were in emotional shock and that if the web series is broadcast, it would have a disastrous effect on the lives of their children, who would not be able to live with dignity in society.

The suit stated that the web series is purportedly based on a particular novel and having read it, they feel that incorrect and misleading information was in the book. It said that their father is not alive today but being children it is their duty to protect his honour and dignity. Besides, they said that being responsible and mature citizens it is their duty to protect the rights of a dead person.

Telgi passed away in 2017. He was convicted in 2006 for being the mastermind of a multi-crore counterfeit stamp paper scam.