Telgi’s daughter moves court against Hansal Mehta’s web-series on stamp paper scam

In her suit filed through advocate Madhav Thorat, Sana has alleged that the series is based on a book, which had factual discrepancies. The web series, she claimed, was in violation of the family’s right to privacy, dignity and self- respect

Mumbai: Sana Irfan Talikoti, the daughter of fake stamp paper scam convict Abdul Karim Telgi, has approached the City Civil Court against the makers of a web series, purportedly based on his life: ‘Scam 2003 -- The curious case of Abdul Karim Lala Telgi’. She has sought an injunction on its release, claiming that the producers had not obtained the family’s consent before the project was greenlighted.

Abdul Karim Telgi, center, the prime accused in the multi billion fake stamp paper scam, is produced in a court in Ahmadabad, India, Wednesday, March 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) (AP)

The suit, filed against Applause Entertainment Pvt Ltd, its director Hansal Mehta, general manager Prasoon Garg and Sony Liv, is scheduled for hearing on Thursday.

In her suit filed through advocate Madhav Thorat, Sana has alleged that the series is based on a book, which had factual discrepancies. The web series, she claimed, was in violation of the family’s right to privacy, dignity and self- respect.

She has alleged, “The portrayal of the character about our father which is based on the novel is false, baseless, derogatory, offensive, unpleasant, highly defamatory and made with the sole intention to defame us, our family and our deceased father, and because of that we shall suffer irreparable loss to our reputation.”

She added that the web series would also harm her minor children. Her father, she stated, had devoted much time and money to several social causes – financing construction of water tanks, bore wells, temples and mosques being a few. He had also sponsored the education of many poor children, she said.

The fraud

Telgi, 56, died in a Bengaluru hospital in October, 2017, while serving a 30-year-term for his role in the stamp paper racket. It is alleged that between 1993 and 2002, he liaised with officers in the government security press in Nashik and purchased machinery at government auctions to print counterfeit stamp papers. He then sold them at a discount to bulk purchasers such as banks, insurance and stock brokerage firms.

He was arrested on November 22, 2001, at Bengaluru, after being booked in 48 cases, in 11 states, including the most high profile case at Pune’s Bund Garden police station in which police had recovered stamp papers worth ₹500 crore. The CBI later clubbed all the cases under stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).