“The respondents, subject to further orders, are called upon to block streaming, broadcasting, telecasting or otherwise making available the content of the Episode No.1 of the Series 1 of the documentary, Crime Stories: India Detective, titled 'A Murdered Mother' on Netflix,” read an interim order by the Karnataka High Court directing Netflix to take down an episode from its platform. The order, passed by Justice B.M. Shyam Prasad, also calls for Netflix to respond to its notice by October 21, 2021. The episode documents a probe conducted by Bengaluru police investigating the murder of Nirmala Chandrasekhar by her daughter Amrutha, allegedly, with the help of Sridhar Rao, according to The News Minute. The High Court passed the order after hearing the petition filed by Sridhar Rao who is undergoing trial for multiple offences punishable under Sections 302 and 307, 212, 201 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, as per the copy of the order which has been reviewed by MediaNama. This is not the first instance of a High Court ordering Netflix to take down an episode as the streaming giant was earlier directed to block a segment on Bad Boy Billionaires: India. The role played by courts in adjudicating issues of censorship might be a sign of how India deals with sensitive content in the future given that the fate of the controversial Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021, hangs in balance. What does the petition argue? According to the order, the petition argues that the content “prejudices…
