Delhi High Court calls for script, but no stay on film on Radia

The Delhi High Court has asked the producer of Asutosh Rana-starrer Monica: The Politics of Murder to submit by March 30 the script or VCD of the Hindi film for it to see whether corporate lobbyist Niira Radia has been portrayed “scandalously” as alleged by her.

Justice V.K. Jain passed the order on Thursday on a suit by Ms. Radia seeking a permanent injunction on the screening. However, he refused to stay the screening of the film, scheduled for release on Friday.

Ms. Radia was in the eye of the storm when transcripts of her telephonic talks with politicians, corporate heads and journalists, on having a Minister for Communications of the choice of a particular corporate house in the second term of the United Progressive Alliance government, were leaked.

The film, centred on the life of Ms. Radia particularly her lobbying for the corporate world, has been produced by Kush Bhargava of Lucknow.

But she argued that she had not given her consent to anybody for making a film on her. Her lawyer said the film would damage her reputation irreparably. “She is not a public figure and her right to privacy must be respected.”

Justice Jain, however, said the petitioner could not claim the right to privacy when she was talking to public figures on matters of public importance.