PIL filed in Delhi High Court seeking removal of Amitabh Bachchan's voiceover in COVID-19 caller tune

The PIL was filed on Thursday and the hearing has been scheduled for January 18 in the Delhi High Court

Credit: Instagram/ @amitabhbachchan

New Delhi: A Public Interest Litigation(PIL) has been filed against Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan before the Delhi High over the removal of his voice from the COVID-19 callertune. 

The petition was listed for hearing before the bench of JusticesDN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh on Thursday but was adjourned till January 18, reported ANI.

The petitioner Rakesh, who claimed to be a social activist, through advocates AK Dubey and Pawan Kumar questioned the selection of the actor, Amitabh Bachchan, to be the voice of the caller tune.

The plea stated that the Government of India has been paying fees to Amitabh Bachchan for "chanting such preventive measures on the caller ringtone" while ignoring some corona warriors who are doing great service to the nation and helping the poor in their time of need by providing them with food, clothing and shelter.

"It is very indispensable to mention herein that some corona warriors have distributed their hard earning among the poor and needy people. These famous corona warriors are ready to give their service without any payment and they are ready to serve the nation with the great welfare service," it said.

The petition also cited several cases of rule violations against Amitabh Bachchan and alleges that he does not have a clean history and is not serving the nation as a social worker.

"The petitioner has made the representation before the respondent on November 24, 2020, but the respondent has not replied or addressed the grievance of the petitioner in any manner," the plea added.

The plea further said that Amitabh Bachchan is not a suitable person for such service in the name of the nation while charging money for the same.