A Hindi web series titled ‘UP 77’, based on the life of gangster Vikas Dubey, who was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh police in 2020, has run into legal trouble after the Delhi High Court issued notice to the makers on a plea against its release. The series was scheduled to be released on December 25 on the Waves OTT platform.
Vikas Dubey is a gangster who is the main accused in the murder of eight policemen in Kanpur. He had surrendered in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, and was being transported from Ujjain to Kanpur when the vehicle carrying him overturned. He allegedly attempted to steal the gun from a police official. The police official who accompanied him fired back, resulting in his death. The government had formed a three-member inquiry panel, but the police officials were not charged after the commission found "no material evidence" to rebut the police version of the encounter.
This incident, however, had raised numerous questions.
What Richa Dubey argues
The petition was filed against the makers by Dubey's wife, Richa Dubey. She claimed that the show depicts biographical depictions and personal events that violate the privacy, dignity, and reputation of her family. It has been produced about her and her deceased husband’s private and marital life, without her consent. She argued that the depiction of the series was fictionalised, exaggerated, and sensational, aimed solely at commercial gain.
Richa argues that their sons are still undergoing emotional, social, and psychological consequences of their father's death. They have taken a conscious decision to live away from public glare. However, she argued that the series will permanently damage her dignity and subject her and her sons to public ridicule, and also reopen the past trauma, and may endanger her social standing and safety.
Justice Sachin Datta sought a response from the Union Government, the OTT platform, and the maker of the web show. The matter will be heard tomorrow.