Mumbai, Oct 24 (PTI) A lawyer representing producer Ekta Kapoor and her mother Shobha appeared before police here on Thursday and submitted documents sought in connection with a POCSO case lodged against them over alleged obscene portrayal of minor girls in a web series, said an official.
The case under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) was registered against Balaji Telefilms, producer Ekta Kapoor and her mother Shobha at the MHB Colony Police Station in Mumbai for allegedly showing inappropriate scenes involving minor girls in an episode of ALT Balaji’s web series ‘Gandi Baat’.
As per Balaji Telefilms’ website, Shobha Kapoor is promoter and Managing Director of the Mumbai-based content production house, while her daughter Ekta serves as promoter and Joint MD of the firm. ALT Balaji, a subsidiary of Balaji Telefilms, is an OTT platform.
While investigating the case, a Mumbai police team had gone to the office of the Kapoors and served a notice asking them to appear for questioning on October 24, said the official.
Accordingly, a lawyer representing Ekta Kapoor and her mother appeared before the police and submitted documents sought by cops for the purpose of investigation, he said.
The documents included papers related to ALT Balaji’s operations, he said.
“We will study the documents submitted before the police by the lawyer and then decide the further course of action,” the official said.
According to the complainant in the case, a resident of Borivli in Mumbai, obscene scenes of minor girls were streamed between February and April 2021 in one of the episodes of the web series.
The police had sought legal opinion on the application submitted before them by the complainant. As per the legal opinion, no case was made out against Ekta Kapoor and others, said the official.
Police had earlier said that as a notice had been served to Ekta Kapoor and her mother, both can directly appear before court also, he said.
In a statement issued earlier this week, ALT Digital Media Entertainment stated that any references to the engagement of minors by the company are incorrect.
According to the statement issued on behalf of ALT Balaji Telefilms, Shobha and Ekta Kapoor are “not involved” in daily operations. Separate teams are involved in content strategy, it said.
ALT Digital Media Entertainment dismissed the allegations levelled in the complaint and maintained they adhere to laws.
“With reference to various media reports regarding the web series ‘Gandi Baat’, ALT Digital Media Entertainment hereby clarifies that it is fully compliant with all applicable laws, including the POCSO Act, and any references to the engagement of minors by the company is entirely incorrect,” the statement read.
“The company has complete faith in the judiciary and is fully cooperating with the authorities in the investigation,” it added. PTI DC RSY
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