Noting that it has outlived its use, the Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed a 1990 notification banning the staging of a drama Jesus Christ, Superstar in Kottayam district of Kerala.
The decision by a Bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi came after the court was informed that the drama was staged several times abroad and is available online, and the ban serves no purpose as it can be viewed from anywhere.
In 2004, a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court comprising Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Pius C. Kuriakose had dismissed a writ petition filed by Fr. Abraham Vellamthadathil of Kottayam challenging the Kottayam District Collector’s order issued in 1990 proscribing the staging of the drama, Jesus Christ, Super Star.
The court dismissed the petition on the ground that earlier, another Division Bench had dismissed an appeal filed under the provisions of the Kerala Dramatic Performance Act against the Collector’s order.
The Division Bench had in 1991 observed that a perusal of the script would show that the entire script was against the fundamental belief of the Christian faith and the presentation of Jesus Christ in the play was “both sacrilegious and blasphemous, which would outrage the religious feeling of Christians”.
School’s plea
However, on a petition before the Supreme Court by Mary Roy of Corpus Christi School, Kottayam, the apex court had allowed the staging of the play exclusively for the children, parents, and teachers of the school. In the meantime, she had withdrawn the petition.
According to the present petition, the rock opera Jesus Christ, Super Star written by Andrews Lloyd Webber and Jim Rice was a literary piece staged and enjoyed by Christians everywhere, including in the Vatican.
