Relief to ‘The Kerala Story 2’ from Kerala High Court: Two weeks stay on interim order of single judge, decision on release reserved
Kerala High Court has given a big decision regarding the ban on the release of the film ‘The Kerala Story 2’. The court has stayed for two weeks the interim order of the single judge, in which the release of the film was postponed for 15 days. On Friday in Kochi, a division bench of Justice Sushruta Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice PV Balakrishnan gave this order on the appeal of the film’s producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah. The appeal was filed late Thursday night, just hours after the film’s release was stayed. The division bench completed the hearing on Thursday night itself and reserved the verdict. Detailed orders are yet to come. The producer argued in the court that the purpose of the film is not to defame the state of Kerala or any religious community. His lawyers said that the film only depicts a social evil. It was also argued that if the ban on release continues, the producers will suffer huge financial losses. The film was scheduled to release on February 27 in 1,500 theaters in India and over 300 overseas. Earlier, the single judge had stayed the release of the film saying that prima facie the Censor Board did not give proper consideration to the legal requirements. The judge had also expressed apprehension that the content of the film could disturb communal harmony or tarnish the image of any community. The court had also said in its order that the content of the film’s teaser prima facie appears to have the potential to distort public perception and affect communal harmony. Now after the latest order of the division bench, the situation regarding the release of the film has temporarily changed. The further legal situation will become clear only after the detailed order comes.
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