Hyderabad: Netflix on Monday released three out of episodes of its controversial documentary-series ‘ Bad Boy Billionaires’ which showcases the alleged fraud committed by business tycoons such as Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Sahara India chief Subrata Roy.
Netflix, the world’s largest streaming service suspended the show’s release after an order from the Araria district court in Bihar where the Sahara group argued it would damage Roy’s reputation. The court on Saturday said that it vacated the stay it had imposed earlier.
However, the episode on Satyam Computer Services founder B Ramalinga Raju has been held by the platform after Raju filed a petition in Hyderabad civil court alleging that the docu-series would defame and tarnish his image across nations. The court then issued an interim stay restraining Netflix India from airing the series. People familiar with the developments said Raju’s matter is still pending in Hyderabad court.
“Bad Boy Billionaires” was set to be released originally on September 2, but it had hit a legal hurdle after Mehul Choksi, whose name appears in the series, Roy and Raju approached courts seeking a stay on the docu-series saying it would affect their trials.
Choksi had approached the Delhi high court through an advocate Vijay Aggarwal saying his reputation would suffer should the series be allowed to stream with references to him and the legal cases pending against him. The Delhi HC had dismissed Choksi’s plea and had asked the Centre to regulate the digital content.
Netflix’s description for the show ran as: “This investigative docu-series explores the greed, fraud, and corruption that built up — and ultimately brought down — India’s most infamous tycoons.”