The Madhya Pradesh High Court has rejected a petition filed by Siddiqua Begum Khan, daughter of the late Shah Bano Begum, seeking to halt the release of the upcoming film Haq, inspired by the landmark Shah Bano case. Justice Pranay Verma of the Indore Bench ruled that the right to privacy and reputation does not extend beyond an individual’s lifetime and, therefore, cannot be inherited by legal heirs.
The petitioner alleged that the film distorted personal events from Shah Bano’s life and commercially exploited her mother’s legacy without family consent. However, the Court accepted the filmmakers’ contention that the film is a dramatized work inspired by the 1985 Supreme Court judgment on maintenance rights for divorced Muslim women, and includes a clear disclaimer stating it is fictional.
Justice Verma emphasized that once details become part of the public record, the right to privacy no longer applies, making such matters legitimate subjects for artistic or journalistic representation. He further observed that the petition lacked merit as the movie did not claim to be a factual biopic but an adaptation inspired by a public legal event.
The Court also noted procedural lapses, including the petitioner’s delay in filing the plea just days before the film’s scheduled release and her failure to approach the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for relief. Consequently, the petition was dismissed.
The ruling reinforces the principle that artistic expression drawn from publicly available judicial proceedings enjoys protection, provided it does not falsely claim to depict real-life events. Haq, starring Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam, is scheduled for release on November 7.
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