Delhi High Court stays release of film ‘Udaipur Files’

The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a stay on the release of the Hindi film Udaipur Files, which is reportedly based on the 2022 killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal, till the Union government makes a decision about its contents, Bar and Bench reported.

This came a day after the Supreme Court refused to urgently hear a petition seeking to stop the release of the film. Udaipur Files was scheduled to release in theatres on Friday.

A High Court bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal directed the Union government to exercise its revisional powers under Section 6 of the Cinematograph Act to examine the film, Bar and Bench reported.

The section outlines the power of the Union government to revise and suspend film certifications.

The bench was hearing a batch of petitions, including one filed by Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind chief Maulana Arshad Madani, seeking a ban on the film. The petitioners have alleged that the film is communally provocative and vilifies the Muslim community, Live Law reported

The court permitted the petitioner to approach the Union government within two days, adding that a prayer for interim measures could also be sought. The Centre was directed to consider the application and decide on it within a week, reported Bar and Bench.

In June 2022, Lal, a tailor, was killed in Rajasthan’s Udaipur for purportedly sharing a social media post...

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