Telangana High Court refuses to stay release of Rahul Sipligunj’s web series ‘Cult’
HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Monday declined to grant interim relief staying the release of singer and filmmaker Rahul Sipligunj’s upcoming web series Cult on over-the-top platforms from January 17, observing that no case was made out for immediate restraint without hearing the other side.
Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka, after hearing preliminary submissions, issued notices to Sipligunj and the production team and adjourned the matter to January 20. The court, however, refused to stay the release at this stage.
The writ petition was filed by Uttam Valluri Chaudhary against the producer and director of the web series and social media intermediaries, including Meta Platforms, Instagram and Google. The petitioner alleged that the series contained circulation and promotion of objectionable content linked to a pending criminal case relating to the ‘Madanapally murders’.
According to the petitioner, the series earlier titled Madanapally Murders and later renamed Cult amounted to a distorted dramatisation of sub judice proceedings. It was argued that this violated the Digital Media Code of Ethics and Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, and interfered with the administration of justice.
The ‘Madanapally murders’ case pertains to the killing of P.V.V. Sudhakar and his wife Sarala, allegedly by their daughters. The incident had drawn attention after investigators linked it to alleged occult beliefs, with reports also indicating that the suspects had mental health issues.
