SC issues notice on petition against web series ‘Mirzapur’

THE SUPREME Court on Thursday issued a notice to Amazon Prime Video and Excel Entertainment, the makers of ‘Mirzapur’, on a plea seeking a ban on the second season of the web series on the ground that it “has completely tarnished the historical and cultural image of the city/district”. The petition also sought setting up of a pre-screening committee for programmes directly launched on online platforms.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde also sought the response of the central government on the petition filed by Sujeet Kumar Singh, a 38-year-old farmer from a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur.

Rudra Vikram Singh, the petitioner’s lawyer and younger brother, said he had not moved against ‘Mirzapur 1’ as it had already been released.

The petition was filed on September 22 last year, seeking a ban on the second season which was due for release in October. It came up for hearing on Thursday.

According to the petition, the web series “has shown every resident of Mirzapur as goon, vagabond and adulterer in front of the country”, so much so that its residents “feel shy and hesitant” when people outside Mirzapur look at them with suspicion after watching the series. It is full of “nudity, vulgarity… and abusive language”, the petition said.

Such shows “are clear violation of the dictum of the Supreme Court to block the publication or transmission of obscene material containing sexually explicit act or conduct and also publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act or conduct and also publishing or transmitting material depicting children in sexually explicit act or conduct forthwith”, it said.

Singh said Mirzapur was founded in AD 1700 and was at one point in time the greatest trading centre in northern India. It is famous for its brass ware and carpet industry, he said. Besides the Vindhyachal Temple, which is one of the 108 Shaktipeethas, the place is also home to Kantit Sharif Dargah and Ashtabhuja Temple.

Also, it was the workplace of Rashtra Kavi Nirala, who lit a flame of revolution against the British, Singh said in his petition, among other things that make Mirzapur famous. All this notwithstanding, the series portrays “that the city/district belongs to the goons only”. It shows the district administration and judiciary bowing down to goons, the petitioner said, adding that women are shown as promiscuous and in some cases incestuous.

The petition urged the government to ban the show’s sequel, ‘Mirzapur 2’, and to make certification mandatory before releasing any web series, movie or other programmes on any online platform. Petitioner Sujeet Kumar Singh, 38, is a farmer from Pasaiya Dagmagpur village who grows wheat and mustard crops.