New Delhi: Arguing that there was no allegation of copyright violation and prima facie nothing to show that there would be any detrimental effect on Sushant Singh Rajput’s reputation by the production of movies about his life, the Delhi High Court on Friday declined to stay the release of the film ‘Nyay: The Justice,’ reportedly based on the life of the late Bollywood actor.
Rajput’s father Krishna Kishore Singh had stated in an appeal that the movie has been released on an obscure website and sought a stay on its release on any other OTT platform and in cinema halls.
The vacation bench of the division bench of Justices Anup Jairam Bhambhani and Jasmeet Singh, while issuing a notice for July 14 to the respondents in the appeal filed by Singh, said, “You have not written a script or a story which has been used by the filmmaker. There is nothing that they have or they could have had…except what is available in the public domain. There is no unholy or prurient interest in the life story because the man’s life was an exceptional life…therefore, something which the public would be interested in. It is a plausible thing for a movie and they have made a movie.”
The bench added there does not seem to be any interference in the investigation because of the production of movies on Rajput’s life. “Is it your case that life story of that celebrity is itself copyrightable which is nothing in material form?” asked the court.
Senior Advocate Harish Salve, representing Singh, argued that Rajput was an extremely successful actor and the filmmakers were unlawfully exploiting his public persona and life story. “There is a right of a father to protect the reputation of his dead son,” Salve argued.
The court was earlier told that the movie was released on ‘lapalaporiginal.com’ and its mobile app on June 11, The Indian Express reported.
