Karnataka High Court Dismisses Amazon Plea Against FIR Over Pirated Ravi Belagere Novel

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday (November 4) dismissed a plea filed by Amazon Seller Services Private Limited challenging an FIR lodged against it over the alleged sale of pirated copies of late journalist Ravi Belagere's novel 'Heli Hogu Kaarana' by unauthorised sellers using its platform. Justice M Nagaprasanna pronounced the outcome in court, saying "Dismissed." A detailed copy of the order is awaited. The court had stayed the probe in May while it considered the company's petition.

It sought quashing of the FIR. The case before the bench centred on the allegation that pirated copies of the book were offered for sale through listings put up by sellers described as unauthorised. The FIR connected those sales to the marketplace operated by the petitioner. The book at the centre of the complaint was identified in the proceedings as 'Heli Hogu Kaarana'. The author was described in court as Belagere, a late journalist.

Before the bench came the challenge to the criminal proceedings initiated on that allegation. The company approached the court as the operator of the platform on which the sellers were said to have acted. The FIR treated the company as a party facing investigation for the sales attributed to those sellers. The court examined that challenge before fixing the matter for orders.

Probe Had Been Stayed In May

Under an interim order passed in May, the investigation had been paused. That protection remained in force while the petition was pending before the judge. The matter was then taken up for pronouncement this week. The judge stated only the operative word in open court. The order status recorded after the hearing states that the plea stands dismissed.

Full reasons for the dismissal will be known when the detailed order is released. The release of that order will set out the bench's findings on the maintainability of the FIR against the platform. Until then, the parties will await the written grounds adopted by the court for rejecting the quashing plea.