The Allahabad High Court has ordered the central government to establish a committee to provide its opinions on the film Adipurush, and the producers of the contentious movie to appear before it on July 27.
Separate petitions from two persons Kuldeep Tiwari and Naveen Dhawan asking for the movie to be banned were being heard by a vacation bench made up of Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Justice Shree Prakash Singh.
The director Om Raut, the producer Bhushan Kumar, and the dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir have been directed by the court to appear before it on July 27.
The court has also instructed the government to form a five-member committee to assess if the movie offended the public’s sensibilities. It also instructed the government to examine its certification decision for the film in a separate order.
The order was posted late on Friday to the high court’s website.
The bench has ordered the secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to submit personal affidavits informing it of the extent to which the standards for approving the film for the public exhibition have been adhered to in letter and spirit.
According to the court, any Class-1 officer of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting who is not below the rank of deputy secretary and any accountable officer of the CBFC would appear in person with records if the required affidavits are not submitted by the next deadline.
It has also instructed the director, producer, and dialogue writer to submit their individual affidavits verifying their legitimacy by the following day.
Before receiving their affidavit-based answer, the court stated it would refrain from making any interim orders or taking any other coercive measures against them.
The case was previously heard on June 28.
