KBC show comes under Delhi High Court scanner

The HC asks for a thorough probe by MRTPC into the way the show, hosted by Shah Rukh Khan, was conducted, reports Harish V Nair.

There is “something mysterious” about the way celebrities appearing on the popular television quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) always win huge sums of money unlike ordinary contestants, according to the Delhi High Court.

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Making this observation on Friday, the court asked for a thorough investigation by the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) into the way the show, hosted by actor Shah Rukh Khan, was conducted.

“There is something mysterious as to how the actor and actresses who participate on behalf of some charities invariably get hefty prize money as compared to common public participants,” observed a division bench of justices Vikramjit Sen and JP Singh while hearing a public-interest petition. The judges said this raised suspicions about whether questions on the show were being manipulated to help these persons.

Petitioner Anuj Kumar Bhati told the court that KBC managers only selected the people they wanted as contestants, and were making crores by duping other ‘hot-seat aspirants’. KBC producers Star India’s counsel, Punita Bhargava, denied any manipulation and wanted the petition dismissed.

But the court said the allegations needed to be probed and asked all parties involved to appear before the MRTPC on May 8.