BR ARAVINDAKSHAN Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner who claims himself to be a journalist and a public spirit person has filed this writ petition with a prayer to consider his representations dtd. 5/11/2022, 6/11/2022 and 27/4/2023 and to completely ban the film ' The Kerala Story' in Cinema Halls and other platforms.

(2.) The grievance of the petitioner is that the subject movie is likely to be released on 5/5/2023 in four languages namely Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam and the story line of the film is based on false information without any supporting documents. It is his further grievance that the release of the movie is likely to promote enmity between two different groups on the ground of religion which would be prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony and also against the security of the State and Public Order.

(3.) Mr.R.Abubucker, the learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that despite several representations, no action was taken by the competent authority to ban the proposed release of the subject movie. Instead, the Central Board of Film Certification has issued a certification dtd. 24/4/2023 under the category 'A'. It is further submitted that the Director and the Actor of the movie have given press statements which are provocative in nature and are likely to cause disharmony to the society and divide the society on communal lines. It is submitted that the film has been certified contrary to Sec. 5B of the Cinematograph Act, 1952.