KBC-2 selection process challenged

Four Mumbai-based persons have moved a Delhi court seeking stay on the preliminary round for choosing participants for the much-publicised KBC-2 hosted by superstar Amitabh Bachchan claiming patent rights over the selection process adopted by Star India.

Correa Nixon Henry, Pradhan Aditya Anil, Ubale Ajay Ganesh and Ubale Sangita Ajay (co-patentees) filed a suit in the district court here under Patents Act, 1970 seeking permanent injunction restraining Star from infringing their registered patent and direction for rendition of accounts.

The case, filed on June 14, came up for hearing thrice before a vacation court, which refused to grant interim injunction (stay) to the plaintiffs.

On the last date of hearing on June 22, Star India filed its reply terming the suit as vague and not maintainable. It alleged the patent obtained by the plaintiffs was fraudulent and prior anticipated by other foreign patents.

It filed a separate application under Section 104 of the Act challenging the validity of the plaintiffs' patent.

As the district court did not have jurisdiction to decide a challenge to the validity to a patent, Additional District Judge P K Saxena sent the matter to the Delhi High Court. Both the parties have been directed to appear before Delhi High Court Registrar General V B Gupta tomorrow.

"What we have challenged is the process for selection of participants at the entry level and not the subsequent stages or the game (KBC-2) itself," plaintiffs' counsel Ajay Sahni and N K Bhardwaj said. (PTI)