The Delhi High Court on Monday declined to entertain a plea seeking to defer the release of the film PM Narendra Modi until the results of the 2019 Lok Sabha election are declared.
A Bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Anup J. Bhambhani refused to entertain the petition filed by Advocate Sujeet Kumar Singh, which had also sought action against the makers of the film for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
The film is set to hit the theatres on April 5.
During the brief proceeding, the Election Commission was represented by advocate Siddhant Kumar.
In violation of model code
The petition contended that the model code had come into force when the election schedule was announced by the poll panel on March 10.
The petition claimed that on January 7, 2019, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra launched the official poster of the film “in a grand occasion in Mumbai”.
“The film, if released for public during the period the Model Code of Conduct is in operation… could have a great impact on voters... it can be seen as campaign material to be used before voting when the official publicity is banned,” the petition stated.
Opposition parties, including the Congress, the CPI(M) and the CPI, have approached the poll panel seeking postponement of the release of the film until the last phase of voting on May 19 is over.
The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer has sought response from the film producers on the issue.
The Bombay High Court on Monday also refused to interfere with the release of the film.
