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In Wakad, Sadanand Hotel a well-liked and joint frequented by young people, has found itself in strange condition. A Mumbai-based company Noves Communication Pvt Ltd holding commercial rights of transmitting the signals of ESPN and Star Sports. They have registered a police complaint claiming that the hotel was illegally the channels screening.

On Wednesday, in question, the channels went off the hotel screens after the police and Noves officials raided the hotel and lodged a piracy case.

Vikram Sherry, hotel owner confirmed the raid however deprived of it had dishonored any copyrights. He said -

We got a notice and were negotiating with the company’s senior authorities. However, Noves took the drastic step unilaterally and filed a complaint.

He said that although they were the channels screening after they took the notice and they had not committed any crime as dialogues were going on.

But, the FIR registered in the Hinjewadi police station by Nilesh Anant Sawant, Noves’ field officer. Allege the notice ignored by the hotel and sustained the channels screening.

Sawant was named Shetty, manager Suresh Mohandas Awtani, Birajdar, director of Sunny Cables Pvt Ltd and Satish Padale, cable operator. The 2 channels were being shown illegally in hotel’s 82 rooms for a year, Sawant said.

The hotel hadn’t taken permission to screen the channels and paid for it either, the FIR also said. In September 2008, the company alleged Narendra Joshi, sales officer met the hotel authorities and asked them to stop the channels. But, alleged the FIR, the hotel ignored the warnings and on April 5, promoting the company to serve a legal notice.

Since both Padale and Birajdar ignored the notice and on September 18 Noves wrote to them and asking them to enter an agreement and decide the issue harmoniously, Sawant said. R S Wanjari, Sub-inspector is investigating the matter. He said the company alleges that the hotel holder owes Rs 800 per television set for each month. He said two loudspeakers, TV sets as well as remotes were seized in the raid. No arrests have been complete until now.