Plea filed in Delhi High Court against Netflix's 'Sacred Games' for allegedly defaming Rajiv Gandhi

A plea was filed on Wednesday in the Delhi High Court seeking removal of certain scenes from the Netflix series Sacred Games, claiming that its content was derogatory to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The plea, which alleged that certain scenes and dialogues in the show defamed the late Congress leader, was mentioned earlier in the day before a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar, which allowed it to be listed on Wednesday.

The scene in question features the narrator referring to Gandhi as a ‘Fattu’ (coward). 

The series starring Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte, tells the story of a police officer who attempts to thwart a terrorist attack in Mumbai. The web series is based on Vikram Chandra's 2006 thriller novel of the same name.

When the matter came up for hearing in the afternoon, the acting chief justice recused from hearing it without giving any reason.

The plea will now be heard by a different bench on Thursday. Siddiqui, online platform Netflix and "Sacred Games" producers are "jointly responsible" for abusing Rajiv Gandhi on the show, Congress activist Rajeev Sinha alleged in his complaint, filed in the Girish Park Police Station in north Kolkata on Tuesday.

"We are looking into the matter. An investigation has been initiated into his allegations," a senior official at the Girish Park station said. 

Sinha has marked a copy each to the police commissioner, joint commissioner of police (crime) as well as to the deputy commissioner (central division), he said. 

(With PTI Inputs)