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Synopsis

The Allahabad High Court recently issued notice to the Central Board of Film Certification in the plea seeking stay on the release of the movie Adipurush.

The bench of Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Brij Raj Singh ordered the notice to be served on the Censor Board for February 21, 2023.

Initially, the movie's release was scheduled for January 12, 2023, however, after its trailer's release on  2 October 2022 and the following heavy criticism, it has been postponed for 6 months. 

After the trailer release, one Kuldeep Tiwari and another  through Advocate Ranjana Agnihotri filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the high court stating,

"The teaser or promo of the film is so atrocious, wicked and diabolical that it along with the pursuant movie which is to be released on 12 January 2023 should be out rightly banned in its present form in the interest of religious feelings, sentiments and aspirations of Hindus."

On October 19, 2022, a division bench of the high court had heard the matter briefly and had ordered it to be listed on a later date for further consideration. 

Apart from the stay on the release of the movie, the plea also sought stay on exhibition of the trailer of the film stating that it was in violation of Rule 58 of Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 1983.

The plea alleged that the trailer of the movie is clumsy and indecent hurting the sentiments of Hindus. It claimed that the trailer showed the ill intentions of the movie makers. 

In the plea, the petitioners emphasised that the Board of file Certification is bound to protect the rights of the devotees of Ramayan, Lord Rama, Lord Hanuman and Maa Sita, and to ensure that the film does not offend the sentiments of the public in any manner.

As per the plea, the film is based on the great epic Ramayan written by Maharishi Valmiki who was contemporary to Maharaja Dusharath. The plea claimed that the depiction in the trailer is totally perverse imagination of the producer/director and thus malicious contradictory and highly derogatory.

The plea has also sought direction to the state authorities to take suitable action against the producer, director, and actors of the movie. 

Case Title: Kuldeep Tiwari and Another v. Union of India and others