Adding to its list of concerns in the country, Netflix India is reportedly facing a probe by the Indian government, which is investigating allegations of racial discrimination and visa violations against the streaming platform. Since 2023, Netflix has been challenging tax demand by the IT department in India. Earlier this year, following an outrage over the alleged misrepresentation of Muslim hijackers as Hindus in one of its shows, Netflix had to add extra disclaimers to the series.
A review by Reuters of an email sent by a home ministry official to Nandini Mehta, a former director of Netflix's business and legal affairs for India, revealed the details of an investigation. "This is regarding visa and tax violations concerns regarding the business practices of Netflix in India," wrote Indian official Deepak Yadav from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office. "We have received certain details in this regard w.r.t (with respect to) the stated company's conduct, visa violation, illegal structures, tax evasion and other malpractices including incidents of racial discrimination that company has been engaged in while conducting its business in India."
Mehta, who is pursuing a lawsuit against Netflix for wrongful termination (she left Netflix in 2020), as well as discrimination on the basis of race and gender, welcomed the investigation. In a statement, she said she hopes for the findings to be made public.
However, Netflix is reportedly unaware of an investigation by the Indian government, according to a spokesperson. The platform has also denied all allegations by Mehta and claimed that the reason she got fired was for using her corporate credit card for personal expenses amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.
It is to be noted that India is one of Netflix's biggest growth markets, with around 10 million users. The streaming platform has expanded original content produced in the country over the last few years, with series like Sacred Games and Heeramandi and films like Lust Stories, Jagame Thandhiram, and Haseen Dillruba.