High Court adjourns hearing to August 5

Phagwara, February 15

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today adjourned the hearing on a petition filed by film and television serial producer Ekta Kapoor to August 5. It was listed before a Bench headed by Justice Harpreet Singh Brar.

Film and television serials producer Ekta Kapoor, her mother Shobha Kapoor, four members of her team involved in the production of serial “Pavitra Rishta” and Zee TV owner were booked by the Nakodar police under Section 295-A of the IPC for hurting religious sentiments of the Valmiki community.

The case was lodged after Rauni Gill, president of Bhartiya Valmiki Sarav Dharam Samaj and a resident of Shankar, complained to the police that the August 5, 2013 episode of the serial had made derogatory and objectionable references towards Maharishi Valmiki, which hurt religious sentiments of the community.

Apart from Ekta and her mother Meghna Amal, Sameer Kulkarni, Bhavna Thakkar and the actor who made these references had been named as accused in the case. Zee TV owner, without naming him had also been mentioned in the list of the accused.

The case was registered on August 16, 2013, and the petition was filed in 2014.