MUMBAI: An Indian politician has taken streaming giant Netflix to court, asking that it delete “offensive scenes” and derogatory remarks about former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in its first Indian original series.
The Delhi High Court adjourned the case on Thursday to give judges and respondents time to study the petition filed by Nikhil Bhalla, a lawyer and a member of the opposition Congress party, which Gandhi led for seven years until his assassination in 1991.
The series, Sacred Games, is a thriller set in Mumbai with a cast of police officers, spies and politicians. It debuted this month in the first of a series of new shows aimed at the Indian market.
In one scene, Gandhi is referred to as a “fattu,” a Hindi slang word for a coward.
Grainy news footage shows him shaking hands with world leaders, while a voice-over accuses him of appeasing Muslim groups in a case involving divorce rights for Muslim women.
“The show ‘Sacred Games’ has inappropriate dialogues, political attacks and even speeches, which are derogatory in nature and harms the reputation of the former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi,” the petition said.
A Netflix spokesman in India did not reply to phone calls and text messages seeking comment.
Gandhi became prime minister after his mother Indira was assassinated in 1984. He lost power five years later and in 1991, still holding the post of Congress party president, was killed by an ethnic Tamil suicide bomber.
His son, Rahul Gandhi, is the current party president.
The petition asks the court to order Netflix to delete derogatory remarks made directly or indirectly against Rajiv Gandhi or his family.
“We cannot afford to, in the name of freedom of speech allow anything to be beamed in every home without regard to its impact on society,” the petition said.
The series, based on a 2006 novel by Vikram Chandra, has won critical praise for its gritty portrayal of Mumbai’s crime scene and politics.
Both Netflix and its streaming rival Prime Video, owned by Amazon.com, are scrambling to add local content in a bid to woo Indian viewers at home and overseas.
But movies and television shows at times run afoul of Indian viewers and conservative groups.
Last month, American television studio ABC apologized to Indian fans of its show Quantico, after online outrage over a Hindu terror plot. Quantico star Priyanka Chopra also apologized, saying she would always be a “proud Indian.”
India does not censor content on the Internet, but movies and television are both heavily censored.
Netflix taken to court in India over portrayal of former Rajiv Gandhi
Netflix taken to court in India over portrayal of former Rajiv Gandhi
Tucker Carlson claims he was detained at Israeli airport
DUBAI: Earlier this week, Tucker Carlson flew to Israel to interview US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, according to media reports.
Carlson, who reportedly refused to leave Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport complex, conducted the interview at the airport, after which he said he and his staff were detained and their passports were seized.
“Men who identified themselves as airport security took our passports, hauled our executive producer into a side room and then demanded to know what we spoke to Ambassador Huckabee about,” Carlson said in a statement to The New York Post.
However, Carlson’s claims have been contradicted by Huckabee and Israeli authorities.
Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Fox News host, said on social media platform X that “EVERYONE who comes in/out of Israel (every country for that matter) has passports checked & routinely asked security questions,” including himself, despite holding a diplomatic passport and visa.
Thanks @EFischberger for a more accurate report. EVERYONE who comes in/out of Israel (every country for that matter) has passports checked & routinely asked security questions. Even ME going in/out with Diplomatic Passport & Diplomatic Visa. https://t.co/UbblLiznMO
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) February 18, 2026
The US Embassy in Israel also described the interaction as routine passport control procedures.
The Israel Airports Authority said in a statement that Carlson and his staff “were not detained, delayed, or interrogated.”
They were asked “a few routine questions, in accordance with standard procedures applied to many travelers,” and this conversation took place in a separate room within the VIP lounge to protect their privacy, the statement added.
“No unusual incident occurred, and the Israel Airports Authority firmly rejects any other claims.”
Israeli Airports Authority:
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) February 18, 2026
Contrary to the reports, Tucker Carlson and his entourage were not detained, delayed, or interrogated.
Mr. Carlson and his party were politely asked a few routine questions, in accordance with standard procedures applied to many travelers.
The…
Carlson has faced criticism in recent years over his commentary on Israel, with critics accusing him of amplifying narratives that are hostile to Israel and, at times, antisemitic. He has also questioned Israel’s treatment of Christian communities in the region.
After Fox News canceled his show in April 2023, he launched his own program, “The Tucker Carlson Show” in 2024.
The show has featured controversial figures, including Darryl Cooper, who has made statements widely condemned as Holocaust denial, and white nationalist commentator Nick Fuentes.
In his interview with Fuentes, Carlson labeled Huckabee a “Christian Zionist.”
Carlson has also criticized Huckabee for not doing enough to protect Christian interests in the region. In one video, he said: “Why not go ahead and talk to Christians and find out their side of the story? Why aren’t American Christian leaders like Mike Huckabee or Ted Cruz, people who invoke the Christian Bible to justify what they’re doing, why haven’t they done this?”
Huckabee responded to the video on X, writing: “Instead of talking ABOUT me, why don’t you come talk TO me? You seem to be generating a lot of heat about the Middle East. Why be afraid of the light?”
Carlson accepted the invitation, and their teams coordinated the interview, leading to his brief visit to Israel.
