BNITIEMC.COM / Bureau News / Editor Vishal Sharma / 18 May 2023 21:50 PM
The Supreme Court order came days after the makers of ‘The Kerala Story’ approached the Supreme Court, seeking the removal of a ban on the screening of the film in West Bengal.
The Supreme Court on Thursday paused a May 8 order by the West Bengal government banning the screening of ‘The Kerala Story’ in the state. Putting a stay on the state government’s order, the Supreme Court said West Bengal is duty-bound to maintain law and order. “Law cannot be used to put a premium on public intolerance, otherwise all films will land in the same spot,” the court noted.
The order came in response to a plea filed by the makers of ‘The Kerala Story’ who had sought the removal of the ban placed in West Bengal.
The filmmakers also highlighted the situation in Tamil Nadu, where the state government claimed theatres had stopped the screening of the movie on their own accord. On this, the Supreme Court directed the state to not take any steps to restrain the screening of the film and provide protection to all movie goers.
“The film will be screened in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu,” the court noted.
During the hearing, the bench also questioned the claim made by ‘The Kerala Story’ that 32,000 women from Kerala have been deceitfully converted into Islam. Senior Advocate Harish Salve, appearing for film producer Vipul Shah, agreed that the film will carry a disclaimer reading “there is no authentic data available to back up the suggestion that the figure of conversions is 32000 or any other established figure.”
Responding to a plea against the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the Supreme Court said it will watch ‘The Kerala Story’, and reserve a judgement after the summer vacation.
Earlier on Friday (May 12), the Supreme Court had pulled up the West Bengal government over its decision to ban ‘The Kerala Story’ in the state. “Why can’t The Kerala Story be released in Bengal? Is it about artistic freedom? The film is running in the rest of the country,” the court observed.
Earlier, senior TMC leader Biswajit Deb had said ‘The Kerala Story’ was prohibited as per Section 6 of the West Bengal Cinemas Regulation Act, 1954, which states that a film can be permanently suspended if there is any chance of it inciting violence.
