MUMBAI: And the fight continues. The latest on the copyright infringement case brought against Sahara's blockbuster soap Karishma - The Miracles of Destiny: American novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford has submitted her case of alleged infringement of copyright before the Kolkata High Court.
According to the Press Trust of India, Bradford's counsel PC Sen submitted the petition with regard to Patent Act, Designs Act and TradeMark Act before Justice MHS Ansari yesterday. Meanwhile, Justice Ansari has scheduled the next hearing of the case for Monday 16 June.
As for the 'biggest television series ever', which had a massive promotional campaign comprising heavy outdoor presence, including painted local trains in Mumbai to bring it in, the telecast has been put on hold after the first episode of the series aired on 12 May show.
According to the media reports, during an interview to film magazine Cine Blitz, the serial's creative director Akashdeep Sabeer had said the serial was inspired by the novel A Woman of Substance. After this news reached Bradford's office, she moved to the Kolkata High Court on 7 May and obtained a stay on further telecast. Sahara then moved the Division Bench of the High Court and vacated the stay. The first episode was then aired on 12 June. On the same evening, the American author moved the Supreme Court, which reinstated the stay. On 22 May, the Supreme Court sent back the case to the single Bench of the Kolkata High Court.
In the middle of all this, yet another media report that appeared in a daily The Asian Age states that a summons was issued by metropolitan magistrate RD Gate against Bradford and journalist Pammi Somal (It was her article that appeared in Cine Blitz). The summons was issued in lieu of a criminal complaint of defamation filed by the Karishma's writer Sachin Bhaumick, who was accused of taking up the story idea. Bhaumick has apparently stated in his complaint to the Mumbai police that Bradford had created a drama out of sheer malice to extract money and that the script was written on his exclusive creation - a story titled Aparajita. According to him, even after the matterwas sub-judice both Bradford as well as Somal were making blatant statements about alleged theft that were defamatory. Since he has been, thus far, a novelist of repute, his reputation was at stake. The defamatory statements had lowered his image in the eyes of public.
At present news is rife in media circuits that the issue will be resolved sooner rather than later.
Whether the issue will be solved on Monday, or Karishma ... will go Zee's Kanhaiyya way, we'll just have to wait and watch.
