HC relief for Sanjay Gupta till March 7

According to the ABA,Gupta’s White Feather films Ltd is in the process of co-producing the new film,which is about the first-ever registered encounter by the Mumbai Police,in which gangster Manya Chourbe was shot dead in suburban Wadala in the 1990s.

In his application,Gupta claimed,“In a view to launch the film in a unique and innovative manner,an invite dated 1981 was sent to all mediapersons in Mumbai which looked like a police summons from the 1980s. It was done with a pure intention to invoke interest and not to deceive or hurt anyone or to perceive this invite as an official summons or notice.”

The publicity gimmick was carried out along with a disclaimer,Gupta’s lawyer argued in the court. “This was meant purely for publicity purposes only,and does not bear any resemblance to any legal or official government document,” Gupta’s lawyer Ashok Mundergi said.

While opposing the application,public prosecutor Dilip Shah said that Gupta had not produced all the documents in the court and to the police. “The prosecution also wants to view the rough document on which the advertisement was drafted. This act of Gupta hampers the image of the Commissioner of Police,” Shah argued.

Shah informed the court that according to an agreement between Balaji Motion Pictures and White Feather Films,45 per cent of the shares belongs to the latter,which is owned by Gupta. Hence Gupta stood equally responsible for the alleged crime,he argued.