'Should We Switch Off TV?': Bombay HC Chides Man For FIR Against Zee TV Show 'Tum Se Tum Tak', May Make Him Mop Hospital

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Bombay High Court on Tuesday pulled up a complainant who lodged an FIR against Zee TV's new show 'Tum Se Tum Tak', the plot of which revolves around the love story of a 19-year-old girl and a 46-year-old man. Closing for orders on a petition filed by Zee TV seeking the quashing of the FIR, the Bombay HC indicated that it will ask the complainant to do cleaning and mopping work at one of the hospitals in Mumbai.

A bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad pulled up Sunil Sharma, the person who lodged the complaint, saying that the Zee TV show 'hurts' sentiments.

“What is offensive in the serial? If we go by your idea (of what is offensive) we will have to switch off the TV itself...Should we switch off the TV and stop watching serials? A 46-year-old actor falls in love with a 19-year-old girl and that will hurt the sentiments. You keep this with you,” the bench said, according to a report by Live Law.

The judges also cited a previous judgment to say that if the complainant does not like a show, he should not watch it.

"We can understand if there is some communal riot or frenzy arises because of the show or some communal tension etc... what is this? There is a judgment (of Justice Lodha) which clearly says, if you do not like a movie or a show, don't watch it," the judges said in an oral remark.

Bombay HC mulls punishment for complainant

The Bombay HC also expressed shock over the different names used by the complainant on different occasions. He filed his complaint under the name of Sunil Sharma, and when he was produced before the judges at the High Court last month, he said his name was Sunil Mahendra Sharma. However, his IDs including Aadhaar and PAN shows his name as Mahendra Sanjay Sharma.

The judges asked him to 'justify' his conduct.

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“In the record before us, there are three types of signatures, the complainant made in the open court... This shows some problem with your (complainant's) own conduct... A mischief is played in the court hall... We can even direct the police to register an FIR against you.. But we do not get any pleasure to order someone's arrest...already Arthur Road jail is full,” the bench remarked.

Sharma replied that he was not bound to use his own name and can file an anonymous complaint. However, the judges were not satisfied with the justification and observed there was mischief and malice on his part.

It indicated that it may ask Sharma to do community work at a hospital for at least one month.

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“Let him do cleaning, mopping etc of JJ Hospital... We will ask the Medical Superintendent to give him some work and he will have to do it for at least 1 month. This man will have to do community service and he should not send anybody who is a proxy there for community service, the way he did here,” the bench said.

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