Zee Telefilms Slaps Notice On Star Over Aap Ki Adalat

Subhash Chandra-controlled Zee Telefilms Ltd has served a notice on Star TV for violating copyright laws involving `Janata Ki Adalat' on Star Plus.

In a notice served last week, ZTL has protested the airing of Rajat Sharma (above)-hosted `Ja-nata Ki Adalat' on Star Plus on the ground that ZTL holds the rights of a similar-sounding `Aap Ki Adalat' and also the rights of the concept and the format of the programme.

Rajat Sharma, Zee TV's high-profile director of news and current affairs, had resigned his post on January 3 and parted ways on an acrimonius note. Later, he contracted Star to produce `Janata Ki Adalat' for Star Plus on Sunday mornings, half an hour before Zee TV airs `Aap Ki Adalat'. Sharma started holding court from early February this year.

 

When contacted, a senior executive of Star TV confirmed that ZTL had served a notice on Star TV. But the man in the eye of storm, Rajat Sharma, expressed his ignorance on the protest lodged by ZTL.

"We have protested to our partner, that is Star TV, about `Janata Ki Adalat' where not only the name is similar, but the format too resembles that of `Aap Ki Adalat'," a Mumbai-based senior executive of ZTL said, but added, "this is purely an internal matter, anyway".

ZTL has requested Star TV to either discontinue `Janata Ki Adalat' or change the name and format of the programme as it is a breach of the copyright law. However, Star TV's response in this regard is not yet known. The relationship of Star and Zee had deteriorated of late with both accusing each other of breaching the founding agreement signed when Rupert Murdoch about three years back had picked up 49.5% equity stake in Hong Kong-based ATL which has leased a transponder for Zee TV on Asisat-1. After former director-general of Doordarshan, R Basu, joined as the CEO of Star TV (South Asia), Star Plus has been on an Indianisation spree.