Mehul Choksi moves Delhi High Court against Netflix over upcoming documentary

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Aug 27, 2020

Accused jewellery tycoon Mehul Choksi has moved the Delhi High Court against streaming service Netflix over its upcoming series ‘Bad Boy Billionaires’, fearing it may harm his image.

 
Gitanjali Gems promoter accused of fraud at the Punjab National Bank, Choksi, remotely argued at a Delhi High Court hearing that his inclusion in an upcoming Netflix series is unfair as he has not yet stood trial for his alleged crimes, TNN reported. Choksi’s legal representative said that mentions of Choksi in the documentary could jeopardise his right to a fair trial in future as it could sway public opinion against him.
 
At the hearing, Justice Navin Chawla asked the counsel for Netflix to grant a pre-screening of the documentary to Choksi and reduce its mention of Choksi’s alleged crimes. The request was scheduled for a future hearing on August 28. 

Senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul represented Netflix at the hearing and shared that only two minutes of the documentary were dedicated to Choksi, stating that he will seek further advice before the upcoming hearing on Friday.
 
The Netflix original series Bad Boy Billionaires is scheduled to air on Netflix India from September 2 and is expected to look into a number of Indian tycoons who have been accused of illegal dealings. 
 
Choksi is accused in taking part in fraud at the PNB valued at over Rs 14,000 crore ($2 billion) along with his nephew and fellow jeweller Nirav Modi. While Modi awaits his UK extradition trial in custody at Wandsworth Prison outside London, Indian authorities believe that Choksi is residing in Antigua where he took citizenship before news of the alleged fraud broke in the media in 2018. 
 
Choksi has thus far refused to return to India to stand trial, citing medical reasons. Indian authorities are working to discuss his possible extradition with the government of Antigua and Barbuda.