New Delhi, 10 February (H.S.): Netflix informed the Delhi High Court on Tuesday that the producers of the upcoming film Ghooskhore Pandat are willing to change its title, prompting the court to dispose of the petition without issuing further orders.

During the hearing, counsel for Netflix stated that all promotional materials related to the film have already been removed from every platform, affirming the producers' readiness to retitle the project amid backlash over alleged defamation.

Producer Neeraj Pandey had previously announced on X (formerly Twitter) the withdrawal of all promotional content, clarifying that the fictional film aims solely for entertainment and expressing regret for any offense to sentiments linked to the term Pandat.

Petitioner Mahendra Chaturvedi, an Acharya devoted to studying, teaching, and promoting Indian arts, philosophy, and spirituality, filed the plea through advocate Vineet Jindal, claiming the title associating Pandat—historically denoting scholars, ethical guides, and spiritual authorities—with bribery and corruption wounds the dignity of the Brahmin community.

The petition argued this portrayal constitutes unethical conduct, collective defamation, and violations of Articles 14 (equality), 21 (life and dignity), and 25 (religious freedom) of the Constitution, while infringing Article 19(1)(a) free speech limits under 19(2) against hate speech or social disharmony; it further criticized the central government for failing to regulate OTT platforms curbing sensational content for commercial gain.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar