New Delhi: A public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to ban Netflix's series "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack" has been withdrawn from the Delhi High Court. The PIL, initially filed by Surjit Singh Yadav, raised concerns about the portrayal of terrorists in the series and their misrepresented identities.

The PIL argued that the miniseries, directed by Anubhav Sinha, inaccurately depicted the hijackers of Indian Flight 814 from 1999. Specifically, it claimed that the series used Hindu names such as "Bhola" and "Shankar," which are associated with Lord Shiva, to represent the real hijackers Ibrahim Akhtar, Shahid Akhtar Sayeed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Mistry, and Shakir. This, the petitioner argued, misrepresents the historical event, perpetuates harmful stereotypes, and offends the Hindu community.

In response to these concerns, Netflix added a disclaimer to clarify the real identities of the hijackers. The updated disclaimer aims to address the issues raised by the PIL and provide accurate information regarding the portrayal of the hijackers.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had also intervened, summoning Netflix’s content head to discuss the matter. Following a meeting with the Ministry’s Joint Secretary, Netflix agreed to review the series and ensure future content is sensitive to national sentiments.

The withdrawal of the PIL came after Netflix's commitment to update its disclaimer and address the concerns of the petitioner.

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