Media company files FIR against Sanjay Dutt, Badshah and 40 others, here's why

Viacom 18 network has filed a complaint based on allegedly promoting the viewing of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches on Fairplay, an online betting app.

Rapper-singer Badshah, actor Sanjay Dutt, and 40 others have gotten themselves into trouble as a media corporation has filed an FIR against them in an alleged digital infringement case. According to a report published in India Today, Viacom 18 network has filed a complaint based on allegedly promoting the viewing of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches on Fairplay, an online betting app. On Monday, the singer appeared before the Maharashtra Cyber office over the matter.

The case

The media company claimed to have the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) to stream the games. These matches, however, were illegally streamed on the betting app. It was also claimed that various actors promoted the competition on the app. A case of digital piracy has been lodged, and more actors are expected to be called in. Fairplay is linked to the Mahadev app, which is pushed by Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is looking into a money laundering case involving the latter application. The names of some prominent Bollywood celebrities who had been summoned in the case had surfaced. Among those named were Ranbir Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Kapil Sharma, and Shraddha Kapoor. Nonetheless, Ranbir Kapoor was cleared from the charges hours later. It was revealed that as per digital proof of ED, a huge Rs 112 crore was funded through hawala routes to an event management agency.