Bombay High Court judgment on The Railway Men. In a recent legal development, the Bombay High Court, under the stewardship of Justice Arif Doctor, presiding over a vacation bench, has opted not to intervene in the release of the Hindi web series "The Railway Men - The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984," slated for November 18, 2023. The court has affirmed the decisions of the Mumbai city civil court, which had previously rejected pleas for a stay on the series.
Former employees of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL), convicted in connection with the Bhopal gas leak incident of 1984, had lodged appeals against the Mumbai court's decisions. Their argument centered on the assertion that the web series could potentially bias legal proceedings challenging their convictions, and they sought a stay on its release.
The High Court, however, dismissed this claim, underscoring that Yash Raj Films, the producers, had announced the web series release as early as November 25, 2022. Notably, the court emphasized that the series would carry a disclaimer categorizing it as a "work of fiction" inspired by real events.
In its order issued on November 15, the Court articulated, "The Appellants have not satisfied the very high threshold test required to stay the release of the said web series." The appellants had additionally requested a pre-screening, but the judge rejected this request, highlighting that the web series explicitly stated it did not purport to present factual truths, and any concerns could be addressed through legal channels post-release.
Advocates from Gravitas Legal represented the appellants, while counterparts from TMT Law Practice appeared on behalf of YRF Pvt Ltd.