Complaint against Ekta Kapoor: Cops get court notice for non-submission of probe report

Mumbai: A Mumbai court on Friday issued a show cause notice to city police for not submitting an inquiry report in a criminal complaint filed against film and television producer Ekta Kapoor for allegedly disrespecting Indian soldiers in one of her web series.

The probe report was to be submitted by May 9, a deadline missed by the police.

The magistrate's court in Bandra had in February directed the Khar police to conduct an inquiry into the complaint against Kapoor and others under section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Under this section, a magistrate can carry out an inquiry into a criminal complaint, or direct the police to do so.

The magistrate's court had called for a report from the police by May 9. The show cause notice was issued as the police haven't submitted the report yet.

The complaint was filed by YouTuber Vikas Pathak, also known as 'Hindustani bhau'. Besides Ekta, Pathak named her OTT platform Alt Balaji, and her parents Shobha and Jeetendra Kapoor in the complaint.

As per the complaint filed through advocate Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh, a web series on Alt Balaji showed a military officer engaging in an "illicit sexual act" in one of its episodes.

Pathak came across the episode in May 2020, the complaint said.

"The accused have stooped to a cheap low and shamelessly targeted the dignity and pride of our country by depicting Indian Army military uniform in the illicit sexual act with national emblem on it," the complaint said.