‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ Title Withdrawn, Neeraj Pandey Assures Supreme Court Film Does Not Target Any Religion

Denying allegations of hurting religious sentiments, Pandey asserted that neither he nor his production house had any “deliberate or malicious intention” to outrage the religious feelings of any community. He maintained that the film does not insult or attempt to insult any religion, caste, or community through its title, visuals, promotional material, or narrative.

The affidavit noted that following objections raised after the teaser release on February 3, the promotional material was withdrawn within days. “After considering the concerns received from members of the public, the promotional materials relating to the film were withdrawn on February 6,” Pandey said, clarifying that there was never any intention to demean any religion or community.

Pandey further informed the Court that the earlier title stands completely abandoned and that any new title, yet to be finalised, would not be similar to or evocative of the withdrawn one. The new title, he said, would accurately reflect the film’s storyline without inviting unintended interpretations.

Clarifying the nature of the movie, the producer stated that the film is a fictional police drama centred on a criminal investigation and does not portray any caste, religion, or community as corrupt.

The affidavit also placed on record that a similar writ petition had earlier been filed before the Delhi High Court, which was disposed of on February 10 after recording the producer’s statement that the title would be changed. Pandey urged the apex court to dispose of the present petition on similar terms.

The affidavit was filed pursuant to the Supreme Court’s February 12 hearing, when a Bench comprising B. V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan came down heavily on the filmmakers, observing that freedom of speech and expression cannot be used to denigrate a section of society.

The Court had issued notice to the Centre, the Central Board of Film Certification, and the filmmaker, while indicating that the film would not be permitted to release unless the title was changed.

After taking note of the affidavit, the court today, disposed of the petition.

Notably, on February 12, the court had directed the makers of the Netflix film “Ghooskhor Pandat” to change its title, holding that it was denigrative of a particular community and could not be permitted under the constitutional framework governing free speech.

The bench had underscored that freedom of speech under Article 19(1)(a) is subject to reasonable restrictions, particularly when it threatens public order, morality, and fraternity.

Observing that filmmakers, journalists, and creators are expected to act responsibly, the court had reminded the respondents that the framers of the Constitution were acutely aware of India’s social diversity. “As early as the late 1940s, the framers recognised the multitude of castes, races, and communities, and therefore introduced the concept of fraternity. If you use your freedom to denigrate any section of society, we can’t permit it,” Justice Nagarathna had said.

The petition, filed through AoR Vinod Kumar Tewari under Article 32 of the Constitution, has been moved by Atul Mishra, National Organisation Secretary of the Brahman Samaj of India (BSI), in a representative capacity on behalf of the organisation. The plea seeks the issuance of a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate directions against the Union of India, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), and the producer and director of the film.