A man, who was arrested for copyright violation in 1987, was discharged from the case for lack of evidence and police failure to prove the charges. The complainant was the National Film Development Corporation Ltd. (NFDC). The NFDC alleged that accused P.V. Krishnan Nair had engaged in unauthorised reproduction and circulation of foreign feature films in violation of the Copyright Act and in violation of the import policy which deals with import of work in violation of the Copyright Act.
The additional chief judicial magistrate of the 37th court, Esplanade, Bombay, Vinod Patil, discharged Nair saying that there were no grounds to frame charges after a long-running investigation. Nair had been booked for infringing copyright but the court found no grounds to frame charges because there wasn’t adequate evidence.
“Multiple attempts by the prosecution to summon witnesses and secure their presence were unsuccessful,” said the discharge order. “Summons issued to the informant and investigation officer were returned unserved, with reasons cited that the parties no longer resided at the provided addresses. Additionally, the prosecution failed to furnish fresh addresses or records for other witnesses, leaving the court unable to proceed further.” The court also directed that any seized property in connection with the case be destroyed as per law.