Delhi High Court Closes 'The Emergency' Author's Suit After Settlement With Netflix, Manikarnika Films

The Delhi High Court has closed a suit filed by Coomi Kapoor- senior journalist and author of the book “The Emergency: A Personal History”, against Manikarnika Films and Netflix over alleged breach of contract and damaging her reputation.Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav noted that the parties settled their dispute amicably before the Delhi High Court Mediation and Conciliation Centre. As the parties undertook to abide by the terms of settlement, the Court ordered:“The suit stands decreed in terms of the settlement. The parties shall remain bound by the terms of the settlement.”The parties were referred to mediation by a coordinate bench on May 07. As per a report of Indian Express, Kapoor sent a legal notice to Manikarnika Films and Netflix alleging breach of contract and causing damage to her reputation by stating that the film “Emergency” is based on her book “The Emergency: A Personal History.”Kapoor's book was published in 2015 by Penguin. It gives a detailed account of the 1975-77 Emergency period. As per Kapoor, the book is based on her extensive research and personal experience. Kapoor alleged that the film Emergency, starring Kangana Ranaut, has “historical inaccuracies,” and that her book is being blamed for the same. It was her case that Manikarnika Films and Netflix breached two clauses she had included in a tripartite contract signed with them. The clause stated that “nothing should be modified that was not in consonance with historical facts on the subject, which are in the public domain.”As per Kapoor, the contract also stated that the author's name and book should not be used for promoting or exploiting the book without the author's written consent.The film Emergency on Netflix, comes with a disclaimer: “The film is inspired by the book 'The Emergency' by Coomi Kapoor and 'Priyadarshani' by Jaiyanth Vasant Shinde.” The said disclaimer towards the end reads, “The film 'Emergency' is based on the books “The Emergency” by Coomi Kapoor and “Priyadarshani” by Jaiyanth Vasant Shinde.”Title: COOMI KAPOOR v. NETFLIX ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES INDIA LLP & ANRCitation: 2025 LiveLaw (Del) 1422click here to read order

Delhi High Court Closes 'The Emergency' Author's Suit After Settlement With Netflix, Manikarnika Films

Nupur Thapliyal

Tags