The Hyderabad City Civil Court has given a major relief to Netflix, clearing the way for the streaming of the Satyam scam episode in its documentary series Bad Boy Billionaires: India. With this ruling, the long-pending fourth episode titled “Riding the Tiger”, based on B. Ramalinga Raju, is now available for global streaming.
Five-Year Legal Stay Comes to an End
In September 2020, Netflix announced a documentary series covering high-profile financial frauds involving Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Subrata Roy, and Ramalinga Raju, the founder of Satyam Computers. However, Ramalinga Raju approached the Hyderabad court, arguing that the episode would damage his reputation and affect ongoing legal proceedings.
At that time, the court granted a stay, which halted the release of the Satyam episode. Meanwhile, Netflix released the remaining three episodes. The stay remained in force for nearly five years.
Court Finds No Violation of Privacy
On December 30, 2025, the Additional Chief Judge of the Hyderabad City Civil Court delivered the final verdict. The court dismissed Ramalinga Raju’s petition and lifted the stay on the episode’s release.
The court ruled that the documentary relied only on public records, newspaper reports, and official documents. It also stated that the content did not intrude into Ramalinga Raju’s personal life. Therefore, the court found no violation of personal privacy. Acting on directions from the Telangana High Court, the court concluded the hearing swiftly.
Netflix Announces Release
Soon after the verdict, Netflix India confirmed the release through its official social media handles. The platform announced that the long-awaited Satyam episode was now streaming.
The episode revisits the ₹7,000 crore ($1.5 billion) accounting fraud that shook India’s corporate world in 2009. The scam remains one of the biggest financial scandals in the country’s history
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