Centre clears 'Udaipur Files' with 6 cuts

The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that it has cleared "Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder" -- a film based on tailor Kanhaiya Lal's murder in Udaipur, Rajasthan, in 2022 – with six cuts recommended by an expert committee.

Advertisement

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a Bench led by Justice Surya Kant that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ordered these cuts while passing an order on applications seeking revision of the certificate granted to the film by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

"In my personal opinion any further action than what has been recommended by the competent authority will be infringing Article 19 (right to freedom of speech and expression)," Mehta told the Bench.

The top court asked Mehta to place the order on record and posted the matter for hearing on July 24. Giving liberty to the parties to file their objections to the Centre's order, it clarified that the stay on the release of the film shall continue till further orders.

Produced by Amit Jani, ‘Udaipur Files’ has been directed by Bharat S. Shrinate. The cast of the film included actos Vijay Raaz, Rajneesh Duggal, Preeti Jhangiani, Kamlesh Sawant, Kanchi Singh and Mushtaq Khan. It was due to be released on July 11.

However, the Delhi High Court on July 10 stayed the release of the film until the Central Government decided on the revision application filed by Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind against the certificate granted to the film by the CBFC. The producers have challenged the stay order before the top court.

On behalf of the filmmakers, senior counsel Gaurav Bhatia submitted that the Centre’s recommendation for six cuts in film scenes have been complied with. The Bench told Bhatia that the Centre’s order was binding unless the filmmakers successfully challenged it.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Menaka Guruswamy, representing Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind and accused Mohd Javed, respectively, opposed the conditional clearance given to the film and said the stay should continue till the top court finally decided the issue.

The cuts included a more detailed disclaimer clarifying that the film was an artistic work and that it did not endorse violence or defamation of any community, revision of an AI-generated scene depicting a Saudi-Arabia style turban and removal of an exchange between characters Hafiz and Maqbool.

Tailor Kanhaiya Lal was murdered in June 2022 in Udaipur, allegedly by Mohammad Riyaz and Mohammad Ghous who later released a video claiming that the murder was in reaction to the victim allegedly sharing a social media post in support of former BJP leader Nupur Sharma following her controversial comments on Prophet Mohammed.

The accused were booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act provisions under the Indian Penal Code by the National Investigation Agency and the trial is underway before a special court in Jaipur.