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SC extends stay on serial telecast

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI May 14. The Supreme Court today extended the interim stay against the telecast of mega serial "Karishma — a Miracle of Destiny'' on Sahara TV on a petition from New York-based novelist, Barbara Taylor Bradford, alleging that it was based on her novel, "A Woman of Substance''. A vacation Bench, comprising Justice Santosh N. Hegde and Justice Shivaraj V. Patil, had on Monday stayed the telecast of the serial. Today, the Bench while confirming the stay also stayed all further proceedings in this regard before a single Judge and Division Bench of the High Court.

A single Judge of the High Court had on May 7 restrained the channel from telecasting the serial. However, on appeal from the channel, a Division Bench stayed the single Judge's order on May 12 and permitted the telecast. On the same day the novelist filed a special leave petition in the apex court, through her solicitor, Fox Mandal, and the vacation Bench holding the sitting at the residence late in the evening stayed the telecast and posted the matter for hearing today.

Ms. Barbara in her petition alleged that the TV channel had not obtained any licence or authority to adapt the said tele-serial or make translation thereof and the channel had plagiarised the same. Appearing for the petitioner, senior counsel, A.K. Ganguly, pleaded for extending the stay as the telecast would cause irreparable damage to the author. However, senior counsel for the Sahara TV, Gopal Subramaniam, said about Rs. 60 crores had been spent for the production of the serial and if telecast was not allowed, it would cause hardship to the channel.

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