Delhi HC adjourns to September 7 hearing on Mehul Choksi's plea seeking pre-screening of documentary

New Delhi [India], Sep 1 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday adjourned for September 7 hearing on a plea filed by diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who is accused in the PNB scam, seeking pre-screening of a documentary titled "Bad Boy Billionaires".
A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan listed the plea, filed through advocate Vijay Aggarwal, for September 7.
Earlier, a single-judge bench of Justice Naveen Chawla, while refusing to grant him a preview, had said that there are no regulations to control the content on the over-the-top (OTT) media service, and asked him to approach the appropriate forum or file a civil suit in the matter.
The documentary, scheduled for release on Netflix on September 2, is said to be based on the rise and fall of India's most infamous billionaires including Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi other business tycoons accused in several alleged scams.
Choksi, in his plea before the single-judge bench, had sought directions to the Central government to take steps to regulate the Netflix Inc and Netflix Entertainment Service India LLP insofar as the release of content having a possibly prejudicial effect on pending investigations and trials is concerned and ensure that no prejudice is caused to accused persons pending investigation and/or trial in the matter.
It had said that the petitioner is a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda, was the promoter of Gitanjali Gems Ltd and has been falsely accused of various crimes in India and is presently under investigation or standing trial by and before various authorities and/or courts.
"The settled principle has always been and must always remain that trial by media cannot be permitted and Courts are obligated to intervene and protect the rights of the accused where a premature or unfair portrayal in a motion picture would unfairly prejudice the accused person's investigation or trial," the plea had said.