Police clear Ekta Kapoor in case over depiction of Indian soldiers in web series
Mumbai Police have cleared Ekta Kapoor and Alt Balaji of criminal wrongdoing in a case alleging disrespect toward Indian soldiers, citing lack of official complaints and an existing related case in Madhya Pradesh.
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Mumbai Police have told a local court that an inquiry found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing in allegations against television and film producer Ekta Kapoor, whose streaming platform, Alt Balaji, was accused of disrespecting Indian soldiers in one of its web series, a per a PTI report.
In a report submitted to the Bandra magistrate’s court earlier this month, police said no serving or retired armed forces officer had lodged a complaint against Kapoor or the platform, and therefore no legal action had been initiated. The report also noted that a related case had already been registered in Madhya Pradesh, making a second case unnecessary.
The complaint was originally filed by YouTuber Vikas Pathak, known online as “Hindustani Bhau,” who accused Kapoor and Alt Balaji of tarnishing the nation’s pride by showing an Indian Army uniform in an objectionable scene. Pathak’s filing also named Kapoor’s parents, Shobha and Jeetendra Kapoor, as well as Alt Balaji, according to the news report.
The police report clarified that while the Kapoors were directors of Balaji Telefilms, they did not hold directorships in Alt Balaji. “No criminality has been found in the nature of the allegations made by the complainant,” the report stated.
The case stems from an episode Pathak said he viewed in May 2020, in which a military officer is shown engaging in an “illicit sexual act.” His lawyer, Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh, maintained that multiple criminal cases could still be filed in different states over the same matter, though defendants could apply to have them consolidated.
