Two ex-employees of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) sought intervention from the judiciary to annul their concerns that the release of the web series could potentially influence ongoing criminal proceedings against them. Despite this, the Bombay High Court has decided not to delay the airing of the web series “The Railway Men – The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984” slated for release on November 18, 2023.
A vacation bench led by Justice Arif Doctor sustained the decisions of the civil court in Mumbai, which had earlier refused to postpone the release of the series.
The two UCIL ex-staff members, who have been convicted for their roles in the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, lodged appeals against the city court’s decision. They sought to defer the release, claiming it could prejudice their position in ongoing or future legal challenges to their convictions.
Nonetheless, the High Court was not persuaded by their argument. The bench noted that the producers, Yash Raj Films, had already announced the series’ premiere date as November 25, 2022. Furthermore, the court pointed out that the series would carry a disclaimer indicating it is a fictional narrative inspired by real-life events.
The court on November 15 clarified that the appellants had not demonstrated the compelling necessity required to suspend the web series’ release, considering the convicted status of the appellants, the completion of the trial in 2010, the public availability of the judgment and trial records, and the planned disclaimer by the producers.
The appellants’ additional request for an advance screening of the series, to vet for potentially harmful content, was also declined. The judge dismissed this plea, given that the creators did not claim to have made a factual documentary or portrayal.
The court expressed that should the appellants find themselves defamed or otherwise harmed by the series post-release, they could pursue legal channels for remedy. With this in mind, the court dismissed the appellants’ plea.
