SC agrees to hear plea against HC order staying release of film 'Udaipur Files'

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea challenging the Delhi High Court's decision to stay the release of the film 'Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal tailor murder', which was scheduled to hit the screens on July 11. After the counsel appearing for the producers sought urgent listing of the plea saying that the film's release was stayed despite the censor board certification, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said it would hear it on Wednesday or any day thereafter. The counsel contended that the apex court had refused urgent listing of the plea seeking a stay on the film's release but the high court interfered and stayed it on July 10. "We have spent money on the movie and obtained CBFC certification, but despite that the high court stayed its release. This is a violation of our rights," the counsel contended and sought urgent listing of the plea on Tuesday. The bench said it would hear the plea on Wednesday or any day thereafter.

On July 10, the Delhi High Court stayed the release of 'Udaipur Files' till the Centre decides on pleas seeking a permanent ban on the film over its potential to "promote disharmony" in society. The high court had directed the petitioners to approach the Centre within two days with their grievance, while noting that they have not taken the recourse to approach the Central government. The petitions, including one filed by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president and Darul Uloom Deoband principal Maulana Arshad Madani before the high court, had claimed that a trailer of the movie released on June 26 was replete with dialogues and instances that had led to communal disharmony in 2022, and carries every potential to stoke the same sentiments again. The film's producer contended before the high court that "this is a typical India-Pakistan plot. The petitioner has taken dialogues out of context." 

The high court on July 9 directed the producers to arrange a screening of the film for the petitioners. Udaipur-based tailor Kanhaiya Lal was murdered on June 2022 allegedly by Mohammad Riyaz and Mohammad Ghous. The assailants had later released a video claiming that the murder was in reaction to the tailor allegedly sharing a social media post in support of former BJP leader Nupur Sharma following her controversial comments on Prophet Mohammed. The case was probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the accused were booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, besides provisions under the Indian Penal Code. The trial is pending before the special NIA court in Jaipur. On July 9, the top court had refused to urgently list a plea challenging the release of 'Udaipur Files', and orally observed, "Let the film be released". The petition before the top court was filed by Mohammed Javed, who is facing trial as the eighth accused in the case. He sought a stay on the film's release till the trial in the case is over.