In a major legal victory for filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh, the Supreme Court of India has dismissed criminal proceedings against him regarding a copyright infringement claim over his 2016 film, Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh.
A Bench comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe labeled the allegations “baseless,” noting that the original complaint failed to provide even a basic comparison between the film and the contested script. The court’s decision effectively overturns previous rulings by a magistrate in Hazaribagh and the Jharkhand High Court.
Background of the Dispute
The legal battle began when complainant Umesh Prasad Mehta alleged that Ghosh had plagiarized his script, titled Sabak. Mehta claimed he had shared the work with the director in 2015.
Based on these claims, a magistrate court issued summons in 2018. Although Ghosh sought to have the case dismissed, the Jharkhand High Court originally declined, suggesting the matter required a full trial. Ghosh then moved the apex court, arguing that the proceedings were a “misuse of the legal process.”
Why the Court Ruled in Ghosh’s Favor
The Supreme Court highlighted several critical flaws in the complainant’s case:
- Lack of Evidence: The court noted that the complaint was vague and did not demonstrate any specific similarities between the two scripts.
- Prior Registration: Crucially, evidence showed that Ghosh’s script for Kahaani 2 was registered before the complainant’s script was even created, making the charge of infringement legally untenable.
- Expert Opinion Ignored: The Screen Writers Association’s Dispute Settlement Committee had previously found no resemblance between the works—a fact that was withheld from the magistrate during the initial summoning.
- Witness Failure: Statements provided by the complainant’s witnesses failed to establish that any part of the script had actually been copied.
A Warning Against Frivolous Litigation
The Bench emphasized that courts must remain vigilant against “frivolous or malicious” litigation. By setting aside the summoning order and the High Court’s ruling, the Supreme Court brought a definitive end to the years-long proceedings.
Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh, starring Vidya Balan, Arjun Rampal, and Jugal Hansraj, was a spiritual successor to the 2012 hit Kahaani. The thriller followed a woman living under a false identity to protect a child, uncovering a dark narrative of crime and hidden pasts.
