Indian Government Investigates Netflix for Visa Violations, Racial Discrimination & Tax Evasion
The OTT platform Netflix India is under government investigation for visa violations, racial discrimination, tax evasion, and several business practice irregularities, as reported by Reuters, citing a government email.
Email from Indian Home Ministry Official
The investigation was revealed in an email sent on July 20 by Deepak Yadav, an official from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) of India, to Nandini Mehta, former Director of Business and Legal Affairs at Netflix in India.
Contents of the Government Email
The email states, “This email concerns concerns regarding visa and tax violations related to Netflix’s business practices in India. In this regard, we have received various details related to the company’s conduct, visa violations, illegal structures, tax evasion, and instances of racial discrimination.”
Netflix’s Response to the Allegations
A Netflix spokesperson told Reuters that the company has no knowledge of any investigation being conducted by the Indian government.
Ongoing Investigations Against Netflix in India
There are already several investigations ongoing against Netflix in India. The company has approximately 10 million subscribers in India. It has made significant investments in local content production, including collaborations with Bollywood celebrities.
However, Netflix has also faced controversy over content deemed insensitive by some audiences and government officials. Besides the current investigation, Netflix has been contesting a tax demand from the Indian government since 2023.
