September 2, 2020: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to stay streaming of Netflix movie 'Gunjan Saxena - The Kargil Girl’; on the Centre's plea that it depicts the Indian Air Force (IAF) in bad light.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher, on behalf of the court, asked the Centre why it did not request a stay before the release of the film, and refused to hold the streaming at this stage. Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl released on August 12 which is now already streaming.

During the hearing, the Centre told the high court that IAF image is "dented" in the movie as it shows that force is gender-biased.

The HC sought replies of Dharma Productions, Netflix and former Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena on the PIL filed by the Centre alleging that film depicted the Indian Air Force (IAF) in a bad light.

The court said it was of the view that former Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena should also be made a party to the suit and issued notice to her, seeking her response.

Last week, the Delhi HC had also refused to order a deletion of particular scenes and dialogues from the movie that was said to have portrayed the prestigious Indian Air Force in poor light. The plea, filed by an NGO Justice For Rights Foundation, said, "Some scenes and dialogues in the movie are factually incorrect, misleading and portray an inappropriate work culture to glorify the screen character of the former Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena. Several male officers have been projected as misogynists to suit the film's false narrative."

On the day of the film's release, the IAF had written a letter addressed to the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC), Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, and the streaming platform releasing the film saying that it finds certain scenes in the trailer of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl objectionable. The letter further added, that while Karan Johar had promised to "represent Indian Air Force with authenticity and make all efforts to ensure that the film helps to inspire the next generation of IAF officers", the trailer tells a different story.