In a significant legal development, the creators of the controversial web series ‘Tandav’ have received relief as the Uttar Pradesh government reported to the Supreme Court that pending cases in the state have been concluded. The series had faced multiple FIRs across six states, including Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly offending Hindu sentiments and undermining the dignity of the Prime Minister’s office.
During the hearing, which was overseen by Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K.V. Vishwanathan, it was disclosed that cases in Uttar Pradesh had either been transferred or closed, following the filing of closure reports by the authorities. The bench also granted permission to Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh to join as parties in the ongoing legal proceedings.
Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju informed the court that the case in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi had become moot, stating, “As far as the NCT of Delhi is concerned, we have transferred the case to Lucknow. As far as we are concerned, there is nothing left, we are not conducting any investigation.”
Uttar Pradesh’s counsel, Ruchira Goyal, elaborated that the FIRs filed or transferred in Uttar Pradesh had been concluded with the submission of closure reports, stating, “In Uttar Pradesh, the three FIRs that were lodged have all been closed. We have filed closure reports in all three.”
Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra petitioned the court to allow the petitioners to make Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh parties to the case. Following the statements made, the court recorded the submissions and permitted the inclusion of Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh as parties in the case.
‘Tandav’, a political thriller series released on Amazon Prime Video in January 2021, immediately sparked controversy upon its release. The nine-episode series was accused of hurting religious sentiments, leading to legal actions against its director, producers, writers, actors, and Aparna Purohit, the head of Amazon India Originals.
