Rapper Badshah and Sanjay Dutt named in the IPL piracy FIR: Reports

Badshah, the celebrated rapper and singer is currently entangled in a swirling controversy. In a recent development, an FIR has been lodged against Badshah, along with Sanjay Dutt and a group of 40 others, by media conglomerate Viacom 18. The allegations revolve around an alleged case of digital piracy, sending shockwaves through the entertainment world.

According to a report published by India Today, the FIR stems from suspicions of promoting the streaming of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches on Fairplay, an online betting app. This accusation prompted Badshah to appear before the Maharashtra Cyber office today, where he addressed the allegations head-on.

The media company in question asserts its ownership of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) to stream the IPL matches. However, they claim that these matches were illicitly broadcast on the betting app, with several actors endorsing the tournament on the platform. This has resulted in a digital piracy case, with the possibility of more actors being summoned to account for their involvement.

For those unfamiliar with the situation, Fairplay is associated with the Mahadev app, which is promoted by Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is concurrently investigating the case, focusing on potential money laundering related to the latter application. Initially, the investigation raised the names of several prominent Bollywood figures, including Ranbir Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Kapil Sharma, and Shraddha Kapoor, among others. 

Not too long ago, the same media company reported that digital evidence provided to the ED indicated a staggering Rs 112 crore had been funneled through hawala channels to an event management firm, further complicating the situation.