SC stays West Bengal government's order banning film 'The Kerala Story'
The Supreme Court stayed the May 8 order of the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government banning the screening of the controversial film ‘The Kerala Story’ in the state.
FollowThe Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the May 8 order by the West Bengal government, banning the screening of 'The Kerala Story' in the state. Putting a stay on the state government's order, SC said West Bengal is duty-bound to maintain law and order.
A bench presided over by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and made up of Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala said that it is the duty of the state government to maintain law and order as the film has been granted certification by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
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The Tamil Nadu government was ordered by the Supreme Court to provide appropriate protection to every cinema hall and to make necessary preparations to safeguard the safety of moviegoers who desire to see the film after the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners' Association withdrew it from multiplexes.
The SC stated that Tamil Nadu "shall not take any steps, whether tacit or express, formal or informal, to prevent its screening." The court said, “We intend to stay the order of the State of West Bengal. With respect to Tamil Nadu, we will direct them to not directly or indirectly ban it.”
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The West Bengal government had imposed a ban on the screening of the film citing threat to law and order in the state.
On May 12, the top court had sought replies from the West Bengal and Tamil Nadu Governments on a plea of the producers that the movie is not being shown in theatres in these two States. The top court had requested specifics from the Tamil Nadu government about the steps taken to provide appropriate security for movie theatres showing the film.
The Kerala Story, starring Adah Sharma, was released in cinemas on May 5. Directed by Sudipto Sen, the film claims women from Kerala were forced to convert to Islam and recruited by the terror group Islamic State (IS).
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