HC rejects plea of Sanjay Gandhi's 'daughter' for stay on Indu Sarkar

The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by a woman claiming to be the biological daughter of Sanjay Gandhi, seeking a stay on Madhur Bhandarkar's upcoming film "Indu Sarkar".

A division bench of justices Anoop Mohta and Anuja Prabhudessai said petitioner Priya Paul has not made out any case for the court to interfere and stay release of the movie after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) already granted certificate to the movie.

"The filmmaker has submitted a disclaimer that will be shown before the movie saying all characters and incidents of the movie are fictitious and bears no resemblance to any living or dead person. The censor board has also already granted certificate to the movie after initially asking the filmmaker to cut some scenes," Justice Mohta said. The court also noted that no acknowledged descendant of Sanjay Gandhi has raised objection to the film.

"There is no dispute that the descendants of Sanjay Gandhi have not opposed the movie. The petitioner's claim of probable relation with Sanjay Gandhi is itself questionable," Justice Mohta said. Senior counsel Birendra Saraf, appearing for Bhandarkar, argued that the petitioner has no locus standi (not an affected party) to file such a petition, challenging the release of a movie.

"There is no material, no document, no adjudication to show or prove that she (petitioner) is the biological daughter of Sanjay Gandhi. At the most this is a ruse to get this court to prima facie consider her claim that she is his daughter, which she may use it later to prove her lineage," Saraf argued.