Mumbai, 22 Oct

Filmmaker Ekta Kapoor and her mother, Shobha Kapoor, have been asked to appear before Mumbai Police on 24 October in connection with a POCSO case registered against them over the alleged obscene portrayal of minor girls during a web series, an official said.

A case was registered against the mother-daughter duo last week on a court's order and a notice had been issued to them to face the investigation. They were asked to appear before the police on Thursday, the official said on Tuesday.

ALT Digital Media Entertainment Ltd, meanwhile, stated that any references to the engagement of minors by the company are incorrect.

According to the statement, issued on behalf of Alt Balaji Telefilm Limited, Shobha and Ekta are "not involved" in daily operations. Separate teams are involved in content strategy, it said.

The FIR was registered against Ekta, Shobha, and Balaji Telefilms Limited in connection with the alleged streaming of inappropriate scenes involving minor girls in an episode of the ALT Balaji's web series "Gandi Baat". The case is related to the season 6 of the web series.

Apart from the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, they are booked under provisions of the Information Technology Act.

According to the complainant, who is a resident of Borivli in Mumbai, obscene scenes of minor girls were streamed between February and April 2021 in one of the episodes, the official said.

The controversial episode is currently not streaming on the ALT Balaji app, he added.

In a statement issued on behalf of Ekta’s Alt Balaji Telefilm Limited, ALT Digital Media Entertainment Ltd (‘Company’) dismissed the allegations and said they adhere to the laws.

“With reference to various media reports regarding the Web Series – ‘Gandi Baat’, ALT Digital Media Entertainment Ltd hereby clarifies that it is fully compliant with all applicable laws including the POCSO Act and any references to the engagement of minors by the Company is entirely incorrect," the statement read.

The statement also stated that Shobha and Ektaa are "not involved" in the day-to-day operations of the company and that there are separate teams involved in content strategy.

"The company has complete faith in the judiciary and is fully cooperating with the authorities in the investigation. Since the matter is sub-judice, the company refrains from commenting in detail," the statement added.