Delhi High Court to Hear Plea Against Release of Web Series UP 77 Based on Vikas Dubey
A petition has been moved before the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on the release of the upcoming web series UP 77, which is said to be based on the life of gangster Vikas Dubey. The show is reportedly scheduled to be released on December 25.
The plea was mentioned for urgent hearing on Tuesday before a Bench led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela. The counsel informed the Court that the petition has been filed by Dubey’s mother, raising objections to the release of the series.
Taking note of the urgency, the High Court allowed the matter to be listed for hearing later in the day.
Vikas Dubey was accused of killing eight police personnel in Kanpur in July 2020. He was arrested after surrendering before the Madhya Pradesh Police on July 9, 2020. The next morning, while being transported back to Uttar Pradesh, Dubey was shot dead by the police in what was described as an encounter. The police claimed that he was killed in self-defence after attempting to snatch a firearm and open fire.
Hours before the encounter, a plea had been filed before the Supreme Court of India seeking protection for Dubey, citing fears of a fake encounter. However, the incident took place before the petition could be heard.
Dubey’s death sparked widespread debate and allegations of a staged encounter. Lawyers in Uttar Pradesh approached the Allahabad High Court seeking an independent probe, while the People’s Union of Civil Liberties also moved the Supreme Court seeking an investigation.
The Supreme Court later approved the setting up of an inquiry commission headed by former judge B S Chauhan. The commission gave a clean chit to the Uttar Pradesh Police in the killing but recommended action against officials who allegedly protected Dubey during his criminal career.
In July 2022, the Supreme Court directed that the inquiry report be made public and asked the Uttar Pradesh government to act on the commission’s recommendations.
