The Hindu : Front Page : Apex court stays ban on Jodha Akbar

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Wednesday, Mar 05, 2008
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Apex court stays ban on Jodha Akbar

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the orders passed by the Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Uttaranchal governments banning the screening of ‘Jodha Akbar.’

A Bench consisting of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices R.V. Raveendran and J.M. Panchal granted the stay till March 14 when the filing of a petition by the producer of the Hindi film, UTV Software Communication, was mentioned by senior counsel Ashok Desai. The matter is listed for further hearing that day.

Mr. Desai said full clearance had been obtained from the Central Board of Film Certification for screening the film. Still the States, one after another, passed administrative orders banning the screening and if others also issued similar directives, “we will have Bharat darshan.”

Quoting the apex court judgment in the case involving the Tamil film ‘Ore Oru Gramathile’, produced by S. Rangarajan (former publisher of The Hindu), Mr. Desai said freedom of expression could not be suppressed on account of a threat of demonstrations and processions or threat of violence.

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