The series, based on author Vikram Chandra's eponymous novel, has references to the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi government, as well as the Bofors scandal and the Shah Bano case that created a storm during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure as Prime Minister.
विक्रम चंद्रा के उपन्यास ‘सेक्रेड गेम्स’ पर आधारित श्रंखला में इंदिरा गांधी सरकार द्वारा लगाए गए आपातकाल के साथ-साथ बोफोर्स घोटाला और शाह बानो मामले का उल्लेख किया गया है.