The Supreme Court today stayed the notifications and orders issued by various states banning the exhibition of the movie Padmaavat..A Bench of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, which heard the matter, also restrained other states from issuing similar notifications/orders..Senior Advocates Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi appeared for the petitioners..Salve, appearing for petitioner Viacom 18, contended that the states have no right to ban exhibition of a movie once CBFC has issued a certificate..“If states start banning despite CBFC certificate, then they are diluting the federal arrangement under the Act. If someone has a problem, then there is an appellate tribunal..This is lawlessness. States have no right to control content. Today, the Executive is throwing the CBFC certificate in the dustbin. It is a Constitutional breakdown.”.He also very briefly addressed the claim regarding distortion of history, stating,.“The makers of the movie don’t claim it is historically accurate. It is inspired by a poem by Malik Muhammed Jayasi.”.Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, however, submitted that various states have resorted to ban the film due to the law and order problems. He argued that only states can gauge the problems specific to them, and not CBFC..“In a given set of facts and circumstances, states may have their own reason. CBFC does not have the wherewithal to find out about the law and order problem it might lead to.”.He, therefore, prayed for adjournment of the matter so that states can file their responses..The Court, however, proceeded to grant interim relief to the petitioners stating,.“Creative content is an inseparable aspect of Article 19 of the Constitution…Expression of ideas through the medium of cinema is a public right.”.It, therefore, stayed the notifications issued by various states banning the exhibition of Padmaavat and also restrained other states from issuing similar orders..The petition challenging the ban on the film in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana was filed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and production house Viacom. Yesterday, the matter was mentioned by Advocate Mahesh Agarwal before Chief Justice Misra, who agreed to list the matter today..Naik Naik’s Ameet Naik is representing Viacom while Mahesh Agarwal is for Sanjay Leela Bhansali..Back in November last year, the Court had dismissed a petition calling for a ban on the film..Read the petition:.Image taken from here.
The Supreme Court today stayed the notifications and orders issued by various states banning the exhibition of the movie Padmaavat..A Bench of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, which heard the matter, also restrained other states from issuing similar notifications/orders..Senior Advocates Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi appeared for the petitioners..Salve, appearing for petitioner Viacom 18, contended that the states have no right to ban exhibition of a movie once CBFC has issued a certificate..“If states start banning despite CBFC certificate, then they are diluting the federal arrangement under the Act. If someone has a problem, then there is an appellate tribunal..This is lawlessness. States have no right to control content. Today, the Executive is throwing the CBFC certificate in the dustbin. It is a Constitutional breakdown.”.He also very briefly addressed the claim regarding distortion of history, stating,.“The makers of the movie don’t claim it is historically accurate. It is inspired by a poem by Malik Muhammed Jayasi.”.Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, however, submitted that various states have resorted to ban the film due to the law and order problems. He argued that only states can gauge the problems specific to them, and not CBFC..“In a given set of facts and circumstances, states may have their own reason. CBFC does not have the wherewithal to find out about the law and order problem it might lead to.”.He, therefore, prayed for adjournment of the matter so that states can file their responses..The Court, however, proceeded to grant interim relief to the petitioners stating,.“Creative content is an inseparable aspect of Article 19 of the Constitution…Expression of ideas through the medium of cinema is a public right.”.It, therefore, stayed the notifications issued by various states banning the exhibition of Padmaavat and also restrained other states from issuing similar orders..The petition challenging the ban on the film in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana was filed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and production house Viacom. Yesterday, the matter was mentioned by Advocate Mahesh Agarwal before Chief Justice Misra, who agreed to list the matter today..Naik Naik’s Ameet Naik is representing Viacom while Mahesh Agarwal is for Sanjay Leela Bhansali..Back in November last year, the Court had dismissed a petition calling for a ban on the film..Read the petition:.Image taken from here.
