NEW DELHI:
The Supreme Court Friday rejected a plea for urgent hearing on a fresh PIL seeking the quashing of CBFC certificate granted to Bollywood period drama, ‘Padmaavat’. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said, “The Court has to function as a constitutional court and it has already yesterday in its interim order said that states can’t block a movie from screening.”
On Thursday, the apex court cleared the decks for the nationwide release of the film by staying notifications issued by governments in four states that prohibited its screening following protests from the Rajput community.
Accepting the arguments of senior advocate Harish Salve, who was representing the filmmakers, that once a film is cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification, states cannot interfere with it, the top said: “We direct that there shall be a stay of operation on the notification and orders issued and we also restrain other states from issuing such notifications or orders in this matter. Once Parliamentary legislation confers the responsibility and power on a statutory board and board grants certificate, non-exhibition of it by states will be contrary to statutory provisions.”
Appearing for the States, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, told the court that the film’s screening will cause law and order problems. The bench of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said it was the “duty and obligation of states to maintain law and order”.
The three-judge bench also prohibited other states from issuing similar notifications and directed state governments to provide security to the film crew if they ask for it. Meanwhile, Rajput groups have been pushing for an “unofficial ban” and reiterated their threat that women would commit jauhar (self-immolation) in Chittorgarh if the film was released.
Lokendra Singh Kalvi, founder patron of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena (SRKS) which was at the forefront of protests against the film, said that “despite the Supreme Court order, the state governments, citing law and order, should continue with the ban”. Padmaavat is scheduled for release on January 25.
