Punjab NGO moves SC, pleads against ‘Udta Punjab’

NEW DELHI: A Punjab-based NGO, Human Rights Awareness Association, on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court pleading against the yet-to-be-released Bollywood movie ‘Udta Punjab’. Appearing for the Association, advocate Subramanian Prasad said the movie projected Punjab in a bad light.

A poster of the movie Udta Punjab.

R Sedhuraman

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, June 15

A Punjab-based NGO, Human Rights Awareness Association, on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the release of the controversial Bollywood movie, Udta Punjab, as it “shows the state in a bad light.”

A vacation Bench comprising Justices AK Goel and L Nageswara Rao, however, said it could hear the plea only after the petition was numbered by court’s registry.

Appearing for the NGO, senior advocate Subramonium Prasad said the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had rightly directed the producer and the director of the movie to delete all objectionable scenes.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The Bombay High Court should not have quashed the CBFC order on June 13 and directed the Board to clear the movie within 48 hours. While the Board had wanted as many as 13 cuts, the high court had ruled that deletion of just one urination scene would be sufficient.

Based on the growing menace of drug addiction among the youth of Punjab, the movie is slated for release on June 17.

Senior counsel Prasad pleaded for an urgent hearing of the appeal against the high court ruling, ahead of the release. But the Bench said the petitioner should first get the filing formalities completed.

The association, however, got an order from the Delhi High Court on Wednesday for removal of the urination scene from the promos of the movie. It pleaded with the Delhi HC that the producers were still promoting the movie with the objectionable scene ordered to be deleted by the Bombay High Court.

A Bench of Justices Sunil Gaur and PS Teji directed the producer, Phantom Films, to immediately modify the promos and delete the scene from YouTube and other online sites.

CBFC told the high court Bench that it was clearing the movie as directed by the Bombay HC. The Board had decided against approaching the Supreme Court to challenge the Bombay High Court ruling, the Delhi High court was informed.

The movie features Sahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Kareen Kapoor Khan in the lead roles.