HC quashes obscenity case against Big Boss makers, Colors TV

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has quashed a case of obscenity, indecency and indecent representation of woman registered in 2008 against entertainment television channel Colors TV, and Endemol India Pvt Ltd, producers of reality show “Big Boss”.

An FIR was lodged against the channel and producers of the show in October 2008 at suburban Andheri police station for offences punishable under IPC sections 292 and 294 (obscenity) and relevant sections of the Indecent Representation of Women’s Act.

The case was lodged by Sunil Ahire, president of the Mumbai Pradesh Youth Congress, alleging that he had been watching the show and found that the participants were spreading “indecency, vulgarity and also propagating indecent representation” of women. Ahire also stated in his complaint that he had received communication from various party workers and the public at large complaining about the show.

The channel and the producers later approached the high court seeking quashing of the case. A division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Sadhana Jadhav last week quashed the FIR and said there were several shortcomings in the complaint, and that despite the time given on two occasions, the police could not inform the court about the progress made in the investigation.

“Perusal of the complaint makes it abundantly clear that the respondent No.3 (Ahire) has not given the dates on which the reality show ‘Big Boss’ was aired and viewed by him. The respondent No.3 has also not given particulars in respect of the indecency and vulgarity alleged by him. Also, the names and particulars of the participants who exhibited vulgarity are not given,” the court said in its order.

“The complainant has made ominous and general allegations. On the basis of these allegations, in our considered view, continuation of investigation into such FIR would be futile and also it would be abuse of process of law,” the court said.