Udaipur Files: Supreme Court to hear tomorrow Kanhaiya Lal murder accused's plea to stay release

The Supreme Court of India has agreed to hear tomorrow a petition filed by an accused in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case seeking stay on release of movie “The Udaipur Files: Kanhaiyalal Tailor Murder”, slated for release on 11 July 2025. Last week, the bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Joymalya Bagchi had refused to urgently hear this petition.

Notably, yesterday Supreme Court agreed to list a plea challenging the Delhi High Court’s interim order staying the release of the film Udaipur Files, which was scheduled to hit theatres shortly before the injunction was passed.

Senior Advocate Gaurav Bhatia mentioned the matter before a Bench led by Justice Surya Kant, seeking urgent listing in view of the film’s halted release.

On July 10, Delhi High Court had halted the release of Udaipur Files until the Centre decides on a revision plea filed under Section 6 of the Cinematograph Act. The petitioners include Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and journalist Prashant Tandon. Court allowed them to move the government and ordered that the stay would remain in effect until their application is resolved, directing the Centre to decide the matter within a week.

High Court had earlier directed the producer of Udaipur Files, Amit Jani, to arrange a private screening of the movie and its trailer for all counsel of both parties, after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had informed the court that it had mandated 40 to 50 cuts before granting certification. The High Court had also clarified that the manner in which the case against release had been reported in media was not what truly happened in the hearing before the Supreme Court, with portals reporting that the court had asked for it to be released.

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind had approached the Delhi High Court, urging an immediate stay on the film’s release. The organisation contended that the movie revives Nupur Sharma’s controversial remarks, which had sparked widespread communal unrest in 2022, including the brutal killing of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiyalal.

Mohammed Javed, one of the accused who is alleged to have slit the throat of Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor from Udaipur for supporting Nupur Sharma in the prophet Mohammed controversy has moved the Supreme Court saying his right to fair trial may be affected if the movie is released.

One of the accused in the Udaipur murder case, Mohammed Javed, has filed a writ petition before the Supreme Court, raising concerns over the film’s potentially prejudicial impact on the fairness of his trial. Javed has sought a stay on the release, arguing that the film portrays events in a manner that is communal, inflammatory, and likely to bias public opinion while judicial proceedings are still underway.