'Tandav' case: Allahabad HC rejects anticipatory bail plea of senior Amazon Prime executive

Allahabad, Feb 25: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday rejected the anticipatory bail plea filed by the head of Amazon Prime Video's India Originals Aparna Purohit, who has been accused of inappropriate depiction of Uttar Pradesh police personnel, Hindu deities and an adverse portrayal of a character playing the prime minister in the web series 'Tandav'.

While rejecting the application, a single-judge bench of Justice Sidharth said that the applicant was earlier granted interim protection from arrest by another bench in a similar case but she was not cooperating with the investigation.

The petitioner's plea was that the web series was a work of fiction. There was no intention of the applicant to outrage the religious feeling of any community.

The court observed, "The fact remains that the applicant had not been vigilant and has acted irresponsibly making her open to criminal prosecution in permitting streaming of a movie which is against the fundamental rights of the majority of citizens of this country.

'Therefore, her fundamental right of life and liberty cannot be protected by grant of anticipatory bail to her in the exercise of discretionary powers of this Court,' the court further said.

"It has come to the notice of this Court that the applicant has filed another anticipatory bail application before this Court with regard to another such FIR lodged at PS Hazratganj, Lucknow. She was granted interim protection from arrest by the order dated 11.02.2021 by a co-ordinate Bench, but she was not co-operating with the investigation," the court said.