“40-50 cuts made in Udaipur files”: Censor Board tells Delhi HC, private screening directed today

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the producers of the film Udaipur Files, Amit Jani to arrange a private screening of the movie and its trailer for all counsels, after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) informed the Court that it had mandated 40 to 50 cuts before granting certification.

The film, based on the 2022 murder of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal, is slated for release on July 11, 2025. Lal was brutally murdered by Mohammad Riyaz Attari and Ghaus Mohammad by slitting his throat.

The Bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Anish Dayal heard two petitions, including one filed by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, alleging that the film violates the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and certification norms, and may incite communal hatred.

Appearing for Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal submitted that while the right to free speech is protected, it cannot extend to content that fuels disharmony and endangers public order. "You’ll have to see the film. It can’t be that just removing a few clips is enough if the tenor of the entire movie is to target a community," Sibal argued.

Representing the Union of India, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma stated that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had already addressed the concerns raised.

The ASG informed the Court that all offending portions, references, and dialogues flagged by the CBFC had been removed prior to certification. “There are about 40-50 cuts in the movie and trailer combined,” he added.

The Court asked whether these cuts were made as per the CBFC’s directions, to which the ASG confirmed in the affirmative.

Justice Dayal also inquired if the cuts applied to the trailer as well, and the ASG clarified that both the trailer and the film were modified accordingly.

Advocate Pulkit Agarwal, appearing for the movie’s producer Amit Jani, informed the Bench that a private screening could be arranged today itself.

The Court then observed that before deciding whether to screen the film for itself, it was advisable for the parties to watch the revised version first and then return with their submissions. "Maybe the offending parts have been removed, maybe the petitioner may be satisfied," the Bench remarked.

Accordingly, the Bench directed the movie producer to arrange for the private screening today and listed the matter for further hearing tomorrow.

About the Petition

The petition, filed though AoR Fuzail Ayyubi Ahmad under Article 226 of the Constitution, seeks a writ of prohibition against the film's release and challenges the certification granted to the movie by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). It argues that the film’s content flagrantly violates Section 5B of the Cinematograph Act and the 1991 Guidelines for Certification of Films for Public Exhibition, both of which prohibit the public exhibition of content likely to incite communal disharmony.

Highlighting the two-minute fifty-three-second trailer of the movie, released on June 26, the petitioner contends that it contains highly inflammatory and provocative content.

According to the Jamiat, the trailer unabashedly repeats controversial remarks made by suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, remarks which had earlier sparked nationwide unrest and the tragic murder of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur.

"The movie, purported to be the story of the murder of one Kanhaiya Lal in 2022, in fact unabashedly depicts court scenes, the statement made by a sitting Chief Minister supporting one party in the case and also explicitly mentions the controversial statement made by a politician, Nupur Sharma, which had resulted in communal violence and, in turn, the gruesome murder of Kanhaiya Lal," the petition reads.

"It is stressed that the trailer of the movie, and by implication the movie that is set to follow, depicts verbatim the same content (comments against Prophet Mohammad PBUH) which was uttered by Nupur Sharma resulting in nationwide communal unrest as well as registration of various FIRs against her. Even the Hon’ble Supreme Court found such statements to be the cause for communal disharmony in the country which had orally remarked that the lady (Nupur Sharma) was single-handedly responsible for what was happening in the country and that her remarks had set the entire country on fire including the unfortunate incident at Udaipur, related to the brutal killing of a tailor, Kanhaiya Lal on June 29," it reads.

The petition raises serious concerns about scenes in the trailer depicting Muslim religious leaders engaging in heinous acts, including inappropriate conduct with minors, portraying a distorted and hateful caricature of the community. “While the movie paints an entire community and its leadership with the same paintbrush, including highly objectionable scenes showing Muslim clergy having homosexual relations with underage children, to depict the same incident and to repeat the same utterances which have demonstrably led to communal tensions in the very recent past is stoking the same communal passions all over again,” the plea states.

Case Title: Maulana Arshad Madani v. Union of India & Ors and another connected matter