NEW DELHI: The furore over Amazon Prime Video’s web-series Tandav refuses to die down. In the latest development, the Supreme Court has declined to grant interim protection to the producers of the show amid apprehensions of arrest.

The court had issued the notices on a plea filed by the director, producer, writer and actor of the series who had sought protection from arrest, and clubbing and transferring of criminal proceedings which have been initiated against them in as many as six cities.

The nine-episode political thriller landed in a hotbed of controversy after groups accused the makers of allegedly hurting religious sentiments through certain scenes which mocked Hindu deity Shiva. This led to registering of FIRs in several cities, within days of its release on the OTT platform on 15 January.

Further, Live Law has said in a report of proceedings that the petitioners' lawyers moved the apex court for interim protection by referring to similar orders granted in the Arnab Goswami and Amish Devgan cases. However, the bench headed by justice Ashok Bhushan expressed its disinclination to pass any direction to stay the FIRs. The bench also orally remarked during hearing that religious sentiments cannot be hurt. It however, granted liberty to the petitioners to seek bail in concerned courts, reported Live Law.

Even as the controversy rages on, director Ali Abbas Zafar has already issued an unconditional apology on social media stating that the makers have utmost respect for the sentiments of the people of our country. The cast and crew has also made the required changes in the content to address the concerns raised in the complaints, after discussing the issue with the ministry of information and broadcasting.

"The cast and crew did not have any intention to offend the sentiments of any individual, caste, community, race, religion or religious briefs or insult or outrage any institution, political party or person living or dead," he stated in the social media post on 18 January.