Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Moves Delhi HC To Halt Release Of ‘Udaipur Files’ Citing Revival Of Nupur Sharma’s Controversial Remarks

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 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.

The plea points out that even the Supreme Court, in earlier proceedings, had orally remarked that Sharma's comments had “set the entire country on fire,” linking them to the subsequent communal tensions and the brutal murder in Udaipur. The petitioner argues that the film irresponsibly revives these tensions, portraying the entire Muslim community and its religious leaders as complicit in the violence.

"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.

The petition also objects to the film’s reference to sensitive issues such as the Gyanvapi Mosque dispute, which is currently sub judice before the Varanasi District Court and the Supreme Court. By invoking such contentious matters, the plea argues, the film stokes communal tensions and undermines the constitutional values of fraternity and secularism.

Arguing that artistic freedom cannot be used as a cover for hate speech, the petitioner submits that the release of Udaipur Files would violate Articles 14, 15, and 21 of the Constitution, by discriminating against a religious community and endangering their right to life with dignity. The plea describes the film as an attempt to weaponize free speech to deepen social and religious divisions, contrary to the constitutional vision of a plural and inclusive India.

The petitioner contends that Section 5B of the Cinematograph Act specifically prohibits the certification of films that may incite the commission of offences or disrupt public order, decency, or morality. The 1991 Guidelines further mandate that films must not contain visuals or dialogues promoting communal, anti-national, or obscurantist attitudes.

The petition seeks not only a stay on the film’s release but also the quashing of its CBFC certification. It has made the Union of India, the CBFC, the film's production company Johnny Fire Fox Media Pvt. Ltd., and the distribution partner Reliance Entertainment as respondents.