Court rejects plea seeking stay order on Netflix's 'Trial By Fire'

The series is based on Delhi’s Uphaar fire tragedy

by exchange4media Staff
Published: Jan 12, 2023 6:19 PM | 2 min read

The Delhi High Court on Thursday rejected a plea submitted by real estate businessman Sushil Ansal asking for an interim stay on the release of ‘Trial By Fire’, a Netflix series based on Delhi’s Uphaar fire tragedy. The series is scheduled to release on January 13, according to media reports.

Ansal had sought permanent injunction against the series and a restraint of further publication and circulation of the book, titled ‘Trial By Fire- The tragic tale of the Uphaar tragedy’. The book is written by Neelam Krishnamoorthy and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, who lost their two minor children in the incident in 1997.

“Undisputedly the work authored by defendants 4 and 5 was published way back in 2016. This is clearly evident from the various newspaper articles and media reports which have been placed for the perusal of the Court. The plaintiff chose, for reasons best known to him, not to initiate any injunctive action in respect of the said work when it came to be originally published on 19 September 2016. A slothful or sluggish plaintiff seeking an injunction of the nature which is sought in these proceedings cannot be allowed to claim such reliefs,” the court said.

“This material was always available in the public domain. Prior to the institution of the present proceedings, the plaintiff neither alleged nor asserted that his right to a fair trial was or had been prejudiced. This Court is thus of the prima facie opinion that the right of defendant Nos. 4 and 5 to narrate their tragic journey through police precincts and court halls far outweighs the asserted and yet unsubstantiated loss of reputation of the plaintiff,” the court reportedly said.