On Tuesday, May 9, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea challenging the Kerala High Court order refusing to stall the screening of the film The Kerala Story.
The plea moved by senior advocate Kapil Sibal was accepted by a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha, and the hearing was scheduled on May 15. Sibal had mentioned the plea before the Supreme Court bench for an urgent hearing.
This comes after Kerala High Court on May 5 refused to put a stay on the release of Sudipto Sen’s The Kerala Story saying that a community as secular as Kerala would accept the movie for what it is. During the hearing, a division bench of Justices N Nagaresh and Sophy Thomas stated that the release of movies cannot be blocked just because it is deemed offensive by a certain section of society. “One religion says my God is the true God, that is allowed,” the court observed.
Supreme Court to hear plea filed by The Kerala Story makers on May 12
Interestingly, the makers of The Kerala Story also moved to the Supreme Court challenging the decision by the West Bengal government to ban the film in the state. The petition additionally challenged the Tamil government’s decision to impose a de facto ban on the film by issuing an ‘alert’ anticipating protests in conjunction with the film’s release, as a result of which multiplexes in the state refused to screen it.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the petition moved by the makers of the film on May 12 after senior advocate Harish Salve mentioned the plea for an urgent listing.
At first, the CJI stated that he would hear the matter on May 15, as the petition challenging the Kerala High Court’s disapproval to stay the film’s screening is scheduled for that date. However, Salve demanded an earlier date, arguing that the ban is costing the producers money. He also stated that another state is considering a ban on the film. As a result, the CJI agreed to list the matter for hearing on May 12.
The movie ‘The Kerala Story‘ revolves around the tragic reality of ISIS brides, with Adah Sharma playing the role of one Shalini Unnikrishnan, who is brainwashed by her Muslim friends and gets converted to Islam. She later travels to IS (Islamic State) controlled area with her spouse. The film is fairing unexpectedly well as the film’s box office collection crossed the Rs 56 crore mark.