The Delhi High Court on Friday ordered the Central government to re-examine Udaipur Files, a movie based on the murder of Rajasthan-based tailor Kanhaiya Lal, by August 6 .
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the direction after the government said it will withdraw the earlier order for cuts in the movie and take a fresh decision on the movie in accordance with the law.
The Court had earlier questioned the Central government's power to order cuts in the movie in exercise of its revisional jurisdiction under Cinematograph Act.Since the movie producers said they want to release the movie on August 8, the Court directed the Centre to hear the parties - those for and against the movie - on August 4 (Monday) next week and take appropriate decision by Wednesday.
The Court was hearing petitions challenging the movie release. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani and one of the accused in Kanhaiya Lal murder case approached the Court, stating that the movie vilifies Muslims and would affect the right to fair trial of the accused in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case.
Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor, was murdered by two assailants in June 2022 after he put up a WhatsApp status supporting BJP leader Nupur Sharma over certain controversial remarks she made on Prophet Muhammad. Udaipur Files was earlier scheduled for a July 11 release.
The High Court had earlier stayed the film's release and directed the Central government to exercise its revisional powers under Section 6 of the Cinematograph Act to re-examine the movie.
This prompted the film's producers to approach the Supreme Court in appeal. The top court did not interfere with the High Court decision, following which a committee set up by Central government went ahead with examining the movie. The panel recommended the release of the movie with certain changes.
The Central government then asked the movie producers to implement the same. This led to a fresh challenge before the High Court.
On July 30, the Court had asked the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma to answer the argument that Central government, while exercising its revisional powers under Cinematograph Act, acted as an appellate board in the case by ordering changes in the movie.
The issue related to the re-examination of the movie was raised by Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy, who represented Mohammed Javed, one of the accused in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case.
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