The Supreme Court on March 9, 2018, in a special leave petition filed by Rakesh Roshan, directed Dehradun-based novelist Rupnarayan Sonkar to give a reasonable offer to film director Rakesh Roshan for settling a case related to alleged copyright violation in the 2013 blockbuster ‘Krrish 3’ [Read order here]. Novelist Rupnarayan Sonkar had filed a police complaint in 2016 accusing Rakesh Roshan of copyright violation and claimed that some scenes of the movie ‘Krrish 3’ were based on his novel ‘Suardaan’.
As per reports, Chief Justice Dipak Misra asked Rakesh Roshan as to why has he not just paid the amount and finished the case against him in which charge sheet has been filed. Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for Rakesh Roshan, informed the court that no offer for settlement has been received from the novelist’s side. First let the offer be made from the other side. If it is reasonable we would certainly look into it,” Jethmalani said.
The bench, also comprising of Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, listed the matter for April 9, 2018 to enable the novelist to furnish a proposal to Rakesh Roshan’s counsel. The order reads “We expect that the respondent No.3 shall put forth his claim which would be reasonable so that the petitioner can be asked to accept the same. Be it clarified, our present order has been passed without prejudice to the points raised in the special leave petition.”
Rakesh Roshan had moved the apex court against an Uttarakhand High Court order of July 20, 2017 which dismissed his plea seeking stay on his arrest in a case of alleged copyright violation. The high court rejected his plea on the ground that a charge sheet had already been filed against him in the case.
Sonkar had claimed that his novel was published in 2010 and hence, the case was filed against Rakesh Roshan. In the charge sheet, Roshan has been accused of plagiarising portions of a story written by Sonkar and using it in ‘Krrish 3’. An FIR was registered at the Dalanwala police station of Uttarakhand in 2016 on the complaint of Sonkar, who had accused Rakesh Roshan of copyright violation.
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