Bigg Boss Kannada makers in legal wrangle over female participants’ privacy, ‘Heaven and Hell’ task scrapped: Report

Big Boss Kannada Season 11 makers received a police notice over the violation of privacy of female contestants, India Today reported on Monday, October 14.

The Kumbalgodu police reportedly issued the notice following a complaint from the Karnataka State Commission for Women, raising concerns over a controversial task on the show. 

The issue originated from the “Heaven and Hell” task from the Kiccha Sudeep-hosted show. For the task, the participants were divided into different sections, with some placed in a prison-like setting, as per the report.

The Women’s Commission's complaint noted the potential violation of female contestants' privacy in a multi-camera environment. The report also flagged concerns about inadequate facilities in the prison-like rooms, including a lack of proper food, sanitation, and the overall treatment of contestants.

The Commission claimed that the conditions violated the female contestants' dignity and privacy. Karnataka Women’s Commission chairperson Nagalakshmi Chaudhary promised a thorough investigation into the matter, as per the report.

The Kumbalgodu police have directed the show’s organisers to appear for an enquiry. According to the news portal, the police have also asked for unedited raw footage and audio from the episode featuring the controversial task to be submitted.

Failure to comply with the investigation will result in serious legal repercussions, emphasising the need for full transparency, reported the news portal.

The incident fuelled a widespread debate among both viewers and officials, giving rise to the ethical boundaries of a reality television show. The task's conditions and treatment of contestants, particularly women, have drawn considerable public scrutiny, according to the report.

The police have recorded the statements of five female contestants who were locked in the 'Hell' side during the contentious task. The female contestants denied any sort of human rights violation and told the police that nothing was forced on them without their consent, reported the news portal quoting people in the know.

Bigg Boss Kannada has not yet released an official statement on this development, but the content managers have removed the 'Heaven and Hell' situation from the task and have asked the participants to return to the original way of living in the house, as per the report.