The Supreme Court on Friday directed the petitioners challenging the Centre’s revisional order, which approved the release of movie ‘Udaipur Files : Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder’ with six edits, to approach the Delhi High Court for relief.
The Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi further directed the High Court to take up the matter on July 28 for a preliminary hearing.
The Apex Court passed the order on two petitions filed by Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani and Mohammed Javed (one of the accused in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case), seeking a stay on the film’s release.
At the outset of the hearing, the Bench indicated its inclination to relegate the matters to the High Court. The next question was whether the release of the film should be stayed till the High Court took up the matter.
Appearing for the Jamiat chief, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal argued that if the movie was allowed to be released, then the matter would become infructuous.
Representing the film’s producer, Jani Firefox Media Private Limited, Senior Advocate Gaurav Bhatia opposed the Court extending the stay.
He pointed out that the release could not be further stalled after the Centre’s revisional order. Bhatia said the Courts have consistently taken a stand against stalling of film exhibitions, such as in the cases related to Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story.
The Counsel for another petitioner (supporting the film) said that the social fabric of the country was very strong and could not be affected by movies like Kashmir Files.
The Apex Court said that since it was relegating the matters to the High Court, there was no point in staying the release of the movie further.
Sibal requested that the High Court be asked to take up the matter on priority.
The Bench then asked the High Court to hear the matter on Monday.
Sibal submitted that the petitioner could not in any way get the revised version certified by the CBFC in the next two days and release it before Monday. If they could get it released before Monday, then there would be no interim order. If not, the High Court would hear the matter on interim relief, he added.
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