Padmaavat ban off, but fringe vows to stall film

Haryana, 3 other states had announced ban on film

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court stayed on Thursday orders by four states banning controversial Bollywood movie Padmaavat, paving the way for a nationwide release of the period drama that is facing violent protests over the depiction of a legendary Rajput queen.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra also restrained other states from banning the film and asked state governments to provide security to the film’s cast and crew, who are facing threats of death and violence.

“Creative content is an inseparable aspect of Article 19 of the Constitution (fundamental right to speech). Expression of ideas through the medium of cinema is a public right,” the bench said.

Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan had banned Padmaavat after protests by Rajput caste groups. It is slated for release on January 25.

Still, Padmaavat’s troubles might not be over.

At least one state, Haryana, indicated that it would appeal the SC decision and another, Madhya Pradesh, said the film will remain banned as the government studies the apex court order. Rajput caste groups, led by the Shri Rajput Karni Sena, also called for a “janta (public) curfew” on January 25 and vandalised a cinema in north Bihar’s Muzaffarpur.

Earlier in the day, the CJI said the ban had shocked the court’s conscience. “A film may bomb at the box office or people may choose not to watch it, but states cannot use (their) machinery to prohibit (a) movie’s exhibition.”

The top court didn’t entertain additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta’s request to wait till the states responded and told the states that it was their “duty and obligation to maintain law and order”.

“Once Parliament has conferred the responsibility and power on a statutory board and the board has certified the film, non-exhibition of the film by states is contrary to statutory provisions,” the SC said.

Based on a 16th-century Sufi poem, the movie stars Deepika Padukone as queen Padmini, or Padmavati, while Ranveer Singh plays Muslim emperor Alauddin Khilji. Protesters are upset over a rumoured romantic scene, presumably a dream sequence, between Padukone and Singh , a charge denied by the director Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Historians are divided on whether the queen existed. Last week, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) cleared the film after five modifications and a change in name, from Padmavati to Padmaavat. NEWDELHI: The Goods and Services Tax Council (GST Council) on Thursday cut tax rates on 29 products and 54 services at its 25th meeting and agreed to make the process of filing tax returns simpler.

At the meeting chaired by finance minister Arun Jaitley, the federal indirect tax body cut rates on products including pre-owned vehicles, household cooking gas cylinders from private suppliers and precious stones. Services that will be taxed less include legal assistance provided to the government and its agencies, admission to theme parks and small housekeeping services provided by e-commerce firms such as Urbanclap. The revenue impact of these rate cuts will be to the tune of ₹1,100-1,200 crore.

The move to simplify the process of tax return filing comes amid revenue loss worries expressed by states, largely due to tax evasion. Easing the process could curb evasion.

Though a final decision is yet to be taken on the revamp of the return filing process, the GST Council is thinking of doing away with forms such as GSTR 2, dealing with purchases, and GSTR 3, a comprehensive return. Instead, the existing simpler summary return form GSTR 3B will continue, which will be supplemented with details from invoices to be uploaded by suppliers on the GST Network (GSTN). This will enable invoice matching and check tax evasion. “Initially there will be GSTR 3B return and then suppliers’ invoices, which will be adequate. This will be a simple process,” Jaitley said.