Brief Facts 

In the Matter at hand Himanshu Kishan Mehra v. State of Uttar PradeshHimanshu Kishan Mehra, the creator of the online series Tandav on Amazon Prime Video, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, a performer, and Aparna Purohit, the chief executive of India for Amazon Prime Video, have filed a number of criminal writ petitions under Article 32 of the Indian Constitution in an effort to have the complaints and First Information Reports filed against them at various police stations overturned. The nine-episode web series Tandav sparked controversy because some viewers claimed it offended their religious sensibilities by depicting Hindu gods negatively. The creators of the web series were charged with inciting cast conflicts and racial tensions through its contentious dialogue. At various police stations across the nation, a number of FIRs were filed against the film’s directors, producers, and star, alleging that they had intentionally created the aforementioned web series and released it on an OTT platform to foster animosity between various groups based on religion and inflame Hindus’ religious sentiments.

Observation of the Apex Court 

The respondents were instructed to provide a status report regarding the current status of the multiple FIRs lodged against the petitioners by the division bench of Supreme Court Justices B.R. Gavai and J.B. Pardiwala. Within three weeks of the date of the aforementioned Order, Additionally, the case was continued for a hearing after four weeks.

CASE NAME – Himanshu Kishan Mehra v. State of Uttar Pradesh, WP (Cri) No. 48/21