The Supreme Court agreed to hear on Thursday a plea by the makers of the Deepika Padukone-starrer ‘Padmaavat’ against a ban imposed on the film in various States.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on Wednesday considered the submission of the counsel of Viacom 18 and other producers of the film for an urgent hearing.
Set for release
The movie is set to be released across the country on January 25.
The governments of Haryana, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand have declared that they would not allow the movie to be screened.
The Haryana government, at a recent Cabinet meeting, decided to ban the movie in the State.
The producers, represented by senior advocate Harish Salve, submitted the movie had undergone changes, including in its title, as suggested by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
The Supreme Court had in November last year made it clear that it did not want to step on the toes of the Censor Board and asked the statutory body to come to an independent and considered decision on certifying the movie.
CBFC’s call, said court
Dismissing yet another plea to stay the release of the movie and initiate criminal prosecution against its director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the court had said it could not stop the CBFC from doing its statutory duty of certifying a film by “prematurely” ordering a stay on its release.
