SC rejects Raj, MP bid to ban Padmaavat
NEWDELHI/AHMEDABAD: Violence erupted in Gujarat’s capital Ahmedabad on Tuesday night, hours after the Supreme Court summarily rejected petitions by two other states, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, to modify its own order so as to allow them to reinstate a ban on Padmaavat.
Rajasthan and MP, both ruled by the BJP, claimed that if the movie is released as scheduled on Thursday, it could lead to a law and order breakdown, especially by groups that have threatened mass suicide and protests. But the court said it will not “back down” and that right to speech and expression couldn’t be compromised.
“Your statement implies you are incapable of maintaining law and order. You first implement our order. Nobody can stop the release of this movie. You tell these people not to watch it,” a bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra told additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who represented the two states.
“This kind of an expression by you gives an impetus to people for carrying out such activi- ties,” the bench added.
Meanwhile, protesting Rajput groups demanded the central government pass an ordinance banning the film. After the court’s order, the states have been preparing to deal with protestors. In Gurgaon, police forces were deployed outside malls and multiplexes and the administration clamped Section 144, which prohibits the assembly of people with firearms or other weapons. The orders will be in place until Sunday.
But in Ahmedabad, also ruled by the BJP, malls and theatres were ransacked and private vehicles set on fire after a candle march by fringe group Shri Rajput Karni Sena turned violent.