PADMAAVAT: SC JUNKS FRESH PIL

PIL sought revocation of the certificate granted by the CBFC.

The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a plea from an advocate for an urgent hearing of a fresh PIL seeking revocation of the certificate granted by the Central Board of Film Certification to the film Padmaavat on the grounds of ‘law and order’.

At the outset a threejudge bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D. Y. Chandrachud, even refused to permit the PIL to be numbered by the registry even as counsel M.L. Sharma argued that screening the movie would result in serious threat to life, property and law and order.

The CJI told Mr Sharma “The court has to function as a constitutional court and it has already on Thursday in its interim order said that states can’t block a movie from screening. Maintaining law and order is not our job. That is the job of the state. Once CBFC has granted the certificate, there was no scope for any interference. Your prayer for urgent listing is rejected.”

On Thursday the bench while staying the ban on the film’s release in four states, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, had said that it is the duty of the states to provide police protection to persons who are involved in the film, its exhibition and for its audience.

Meanwhile, there are reports that senior lawyer Harish Salve who appeared for the film’s producer got threatening messages for getting relief to the producer.