Bad Boy Billionaires: In yet another setback for Netflix, Patna HC dismisses appeal against Sahara

Days after the Supreme Court refused to entertain Netflix India’s appeal against a Bihar court order preventing it from using businessman Subrata Roy’s name in its upcoming series 'Bad Boy Billionaires', the Patna High Court too dismissed the OTT platform’s appeal challenging the injunction order.

The Patna High Court on September 18 dismissed the appeal filed by Netflix challenging an injunction order passed by a civil judge at Araria in Bihar on August 28, in the case against the controversial documentary series. The HC further told Netflix to raise their grievances before the civil judge at Araria, where the injunction suit filed by Sahara is pending. Refusing to comment on the case as it is subjudice, Netflix India told Moneycontrol that they will approach the civil court again following the directions of the Patna High Court.

This is the second setback Netflix has faced in connection with the case.

Earlier, in August, the Araria Civil Court had restrained Netflix and its producers and directors from “releasing, transmitting, distributing, exhibiting, performing, or communicating to the public, the said documentary series ‘Bad Boy Billionaires: India’ by any means or technology.” The court was hearing an injunction suit filed by Sahara India against Netflix for releasing a documentary series that could further taint the image of Subrata Roy, Chairman of Sahara India Pariwar.

A Sahara spokesperson has said that the “Netflix documentary is a commercial venture of Netflix and as the promo of the said documentary series indicates, it contains various controversial and defamatory contents on Sahara and offends the privacy and trademarks of their companies. As per Sahara, Minnows Films and Netflix have composed and produced such offending programmes, without taking their consent, which cannot be allowed to be aired in electronic, cellular or any other media. The court had found a prima facie case in favour of Sahara hence, restrained the Netflix.”