Barbara Taylor Bradford loses Indian court battle

India’s highest court today rejected a petition by Leeds-born author Barbara Taylor Bradford to halt a 260 part TV series she said plagiarised her novel, A Woman of Substance.

The Supreme Court dismissed her appeal against last month’s order by the High Court in Calcutta, which said the series could be broadcast.

But the Supreme Court did rescind the lower court’s order that she pay damages of €2,780 to Sahara Media Entertainment for each week her court challenge had delayed the airing of the series.

The New York based millionaire author went to India in May to get the programme, Karishma: Miracle of Destiny, blocked from screens a few days before it was to be broadcast.

The Supreme Court had issued an injunction against the broadcast until further arguments in the case could be heard, but Sahara appealed.

The Calcutta High Court judges read Taylor Bradford’s book and watched the series before ruling on the dispute last month.