Neerja’s kin move HC over film profit

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 23

Flight purser Neerja Bhanot’s family has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court after failure to resolve the money-sharing issue with the makers of Bollywood blockbuster and national award-winning movie “Neerja”. The family has alleged that the respondents are going back on their word of sharing 10 per cent of the net profit.

The petition came after the two sides failed to agree on the appointment of an arbitrator. As of now, a notice has not been issued on the petition and the matter is expected to come up for hearing in July. The family has moved the petition for appointment of an arbitrator to resolve the dispute. 

Neerja, a senior flight purser of the Pan-Am 73 flight, was killed in a shooting following a hijack by terrorists, who entered the aircraft with arms and hand grenades. Following her act of bravery and the supreme sacrifice, Neerja was given the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award for bravery, in 1987. 

  The hijack left 20 people dead and 150 injured after a bloodbath at the Karachi airport. There were around 200 Indian passengers on the flight, of whom 13 died while over 100 were injured.