LI Network
Published on: 26 January , 2024 at 10:02 IST
The Supreme Court directed the Karnataka High Court to postpone contempt proceedings against streaming platform Netflix regarding the broadcast of the “Wild Karnataka” documentary.
During the proceedings, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, leading the bench, verbally instructed Netflix to contribute to the ‘Tiger Protection Fund’ to resolve the dispute.
The Chief Justice mentioned that the bench would also request contributions from other involved parties, including BBC, Discovery India, and the documentary producers, and determine an appropriate amount.
In urging Netflix to take action, the Chief Justice stated, “Find some solution, make some contribution to the Tiger Protection Fund, Netflix has also made money on it, you should do something for the benefit of our wild as well.”
Netflix was represented by Senior Advocate Sajan Poovayya, while Senior Advocate Balaji Srinivasan represented the respondents.
The bench acknowledged that while the contemnors had issued an apology in the High Court, the proposed contribution amount was deemed insufficient considering the profits generated from distributing the documentary film.
The film was initially sold by the producers to Icon Films Limited for 150,000, which Icon Films then resold to various broadcasters, including Netflix.
The Supreme Court also tagged the case with a related matter involving Icon Films Limited, for which the Court had already issued notice.
Background:
The Supreme Court’s action follows the Karnataka High Court’s decision to press charges against several individuals and entities associated with the ‘Wild Karnataka’ documentary.
This included filmmakers Sarath Champati, Kalyan Varma, and Amoghavarhaa JS, as well as representatives from broadcasters Discovery India, BBC United Kingdom, and Netflix.
The charges stemmed from an alleged violation of the high court’s interim order from June 2021, following a contempt petition filed by Ravindra N Redkar and Ullash Kumar RK.
The petitioners had previously filed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition against the documentary’s broadcast, alleging that the filmmakers and streaming platforms had violated the court’s order by commercializing the film without approval from the Karnataka forest department.
They also claimed that the documentary had been distributed globally without fulfilling the financial obligations outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2014, which required remittances to the Tiger Conservation Foundation.
In response to the contempt petition filed in November 2021, Icon Films proposed to pay 15,000 to the Tiger Conservation Foundation, and the court suggested that other accused parties consider similar contributions under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) obligations.
Despite some parties submitting proposals for donations, maintaining that the interim order had not been violated, the Karnataka High Court decided to proceed with framing charges against the contemnors.