SC to hear fresh plea to stall release of Padmavati outside India

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today agreed to hear on November 28 a fresh plea seeking a direction to makers of the Bollywood film “Padmavati” not to release it outside India on December 1.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said it would hear on Tuesday the plea that alleged that the makers of “Padmavati” misrepresented facts before the court with regard to Censor Board’s approval on releasing songs and the promo.

“We will take it up on Tuesday. You (advocate) file a writ petition,” the bench told advocate M L Sharma who mentioned his fresh plea for an urgent hearing. Sharma alleged that grave damage will be done to social harmony if the movie is allowed to be released outside India.

He also sought criminal prosecution of the makers of the movie for allegedly misrepresenting facts that the songs and promos were cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Earlier, the apex court had dismissed his plea seeking to delete certain alleged objectionable scenes from movie.

The bench had observed that the CBFC has not yet given certificate to the movie and the apex court cannot “injunct” a statutory body from doing its duty. The counsel for one of the respondents had earlier told the court that the film’s promo was released and it has got the requisite CBFC approval.

Sharma had approached the court seeking a direction for removal of all scenes of alleged ‘character assassination’ of Queen Padmavati from the movie before its release. Viacom 18, the makers of the film, had earlier said that they have deferred the movie’s release which was originally scheduled on December 1.

The set of the movie was vandalised twice — in Jaipur and Kolhapur — and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali was roughed up by members of Karni Sena during the Jaipur schedule of the film earlier this year.