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A Patna court further extended the stay on the telecast of the controversial serial Ramkhelavan CM 'n' Family till the 'absolute' disposal of the suit.
The sitcom allegedly takes pot shots at Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and her husband Laloo Prasad Yadav. It was being aired on the private Sri Adhikari Brothers TV channel, but was pulled off after the court stayed its telecast on August 19. Since then the stay has been extended several times.
The title suit filed by Patna civil lawyer Radha Raman Pradhan on August 13 argues that the serial was causing resentment among the people of Bihar because of the 'ugly image' it portrayed of Yadav and Rabri Devi.
Pradhan filed the suit with an ad interim injunction petition seeking a ban on the telecast of the serial. The court granted the first ad interim injunction on August 19, then again on August 29.
Pradhan in his case accused SABe TV chairman Gautam Adhikari, vice-chairman Markand Adhikari, director Vijay Krishna Acharya, producer Ashwani Dhir, actor Vineet Kumar, who plays Ramkhelavan, actress Sushmita Mukherjee, who plays his wife Imarti Devi, and actor Sanjay Mishra, who plays the character of Ramkhelavan's brother-in-law [sala] Puttan Yadav.
A SABe TV producer had filed a miscellaneous appeal in the district court against the ad interim injunction granted by the court's sub judge, but the district judge did not give any instant relief to the producer, instead directing the lower court to conclude hearing the case within 10 days.
The makeup of actor Vineet Kumar, who plays Ramkhelavan, makes him look like Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Yadav, including the cropped salt-and-pepper hair and the glasses dangling around the neck. Mukherjee plays Ramkhelavan's wife Imarti Devi, modelled on Rabri Devi.
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