The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Bengal government on a petition filed by the makers of The Kerala Story challenging its ban on the movie in the state.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P.S. Narasimha issued a similar notice to the Tamil Nadu government on the petition filed by Sunshine Pictures Limited which apprehended a ban on the movie’s screening in the southern state.
The Supreme Court asked Bengal's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi how the state could ban the movie when it was running unhindered in other parts of the country.
“The film has been released on May 5 in the rest of the country. West Bengal is not different from other states of the country. If it can run in the rest of the country, why should West Bengal ban the film?” the CJI asked Singhvi.
“If the public does not think that the film is not worth watching, they will not see it. But when it is running in other parts of the country, which have a similar demographic profile as in Bengal, why should you ban it?”
Singhvi has, however, cited Section 6 of the West Bengal Cinemas Act, 1954, to argue that the state has the power to ban the movie to maintain public order and peace.
