West Bengal Government Alerts Supreme Court: Certain Scenes May Stoke Communal Tensions
The West Bengal government has told the Supreme Court that the film “Kerala Story” is based on manipulated facts and contains hate speech in some scenes, which could cause discord between communities while justifying the ban on exhibiting the film. The state government, in an affidavit of protest, said if the film were allowed to screen, it would lead to a breach of the peace, which would not be conducive to justice. “The film is based on manipulated facts and contains hate speech in some scenes that may hurt the feelings of the community and cause disagreement among the communities, which will ultimately lead to to the state of law and order, as measured from a variety of information received by the state government. for a period of time,” the affidavit reads.
“During surveillance, it was observed that the public made very offensive comments whenever they saw a particular scene where Hindu or Christian girls were tortured,” it said, adding that it has also been observed that while coming out of movie halls after watching The Kerala Story people discuss among themselves to limit their interaction with Muslims, or that these Muslims ought to be taught a lesson. On social media, videos, photos, and comments are being circulated against a particular community, which is further spewing hatred, it said.
The state government indicated that in the present case, given the demographics of West Bengal and the hate speech used in the film, corroborated by intelligence reports, that would be a reasonable limitation. to the rights of petitioners. He clarified that he was not reversing the certification issued by the CBFC, but rather issuing such an order to protect the safety and security of the state and its residents. On May 12, the Supreme Court posed a series of questions to the West Bengal government regarding the ban on the film, stating that it was being shown in the rest of the country and there was no reason to it is banned in the west. bengal.
A bench held by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandracud and including Judge P.S. Narasimha, told Senior Counsel A.M. Singhvi, representing the West Bengal government, said: “The film has been released in the rest of the country, West Bengal is no different from any other part of the country.” Lead attorney Harish Salve, representing the filmmakers, said the film was in theaters for three days. The chief judge said: “If the film can be filmed peacefully in other parts of the country, why does West Bengal state ban the screening of the film?…if the audience doesn’t find it interesting, they won’t watch the movie. ” “It takes place in different parts of the country, where the democratic structure is similar to the state of West Bengal. Why not let a movie run?
A bench held by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandracud and including Judge P.S. Narasimha, told Senior Counsel A.M. Singhvi, representing the West Bengal government, said: “The film has been released in the rest of the country, West Bengal is no different from any other part of the country.” Lead attorney Harish Salve, representing the filmmakers, said the film was in theaters for three days. The chief judge said: “If the film can be filmed peacefully in other parts of the country, why does West Bengal state ban the screening of the film?…if the audience doesn’t find it interesting, they won’t watch the movie. ” “It takes place in different parts of the country, where the democratic structure is similar to the state of West Bengal. Why not let a movie run?