Supreme Court Refused to Stop Streaming of Nagraj Manjule’s Jhund (2022)

Jhund (2022), an Amitabh Bachchan-starring Hindi film, was allowed to continue to be streamed on the Over the Top (OTT) platform by the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Revision case filed by Hyderabad-based director Nandi Chinni Kumar, who claimed copyright infringement, was ordered to be considered promptly after the summer holiday by a bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao.

“A compromise decree was passed between the parties in the trial court relating to rights of movie Jhund. Respondent no. 1 (Nandi) challenged the decree on the ground that fraud was played on him. He also filed a writ petition before the High Court which was dismissed. The trial court also dismissed the application for recall of the compromise decree...  In the revision filed by the respondent, the high court ordered status quo, and this court on May 5, 2022, stayed the order passed by the high court.”

"Respondent no/ 1 (Nandi ) appearing in person submitted that the interim order of status quo of the high court should be continued and in the alternative, there should be a stay of release of satellite rights or else he will suffer irreparable loss. Having examined the facts of the case, we are of the considered opinion that the May 5 order is to be continued till the disposal of the revision petition. The high court is directed to consider the revision petition of the respondent immediately after the summer vacation," the bench, which also included justices B R Gavai and A S Bopanna, stated.

Prior to the May 5 release date, the Supreme Court had stayed a Telangana High Court ruling that had prevented the movie from being shown on the OTT platform.T-series, the film's producer, was arguing against the high court's ruling to halt the film's release on OTT before the Supreme Court.

It was suggested that the film, which was released in theaters on March 4, should be released on the OTT platform before the high court's status quo order, which is scheduled to come in the middle of the release of the movie. Nandi Chinni Kumar, a filmmaker based in Hyderabad, was granted an interim injunction by the high court on April 29 that ordered the release of the film on OTT platforms to remain in place and set June 9 as the next hearing date.

The makers of Jhund were accused of violating the plaintiff's copyright, according to the complaint.The biography of Vijay Barse, the creator of the non-profit organization "Slum Soccer," is the inspiration for the sports biopic Jhund.