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India.com
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Delhi HC Temporarily Stays Release Of ‘Udaipur Files' Amid Legal Challenge To CBFC Certification
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a temporary stay on the release of the film 'Udaipur Files' until the Centre decides on the revision petition filed by the petitioners challenging the CBFC certification granted to the movie. Scheduled for a global release on Friday, the film is based on the gruesome murder of Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor from Udaipur, Rajasthan, who was killed in June 2022 by Mohammad Riyaz Attari and Ghaus Mohammad through throat slitting. A bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal was hearing several petitions, including one by Maulana Arshad Madani, President of the Islamic cleric body Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind, seeking to annul the CBFC certification given to the film. As per the petition filed by Maulana Arshad Madani, the CBFC certification was granted in violation of Section 5B of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and the Guidelines for Certification of Films for Public Exhibition, since the release of the film 'Udaipur Files' has the potential to inflame communal tensions and disrupt public order, severely undermining the fabric of religious harmony in the country. In its order, the Chief Justice Upadhyaya-led Bench allowed the petitioners as well as the general public to file within two days revision plea before the Union government under Section 6 of the Cinematograph Act. Section 6 vests the Centre with adequate powers to declare a film to be uncertified or pass orders providing for interim measures, including suspension of the film from public exhibition. The Delhi HC asked the Centre to decide the revision pleas within a week after giving an opportunity of hearing to the producer. Further, it ordered that the prayer for interim relief, if made, will also be considered and decided. In a hearing held on Wednesday, the Delhi High Court recorded Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma's statement that before the film was certified, the CBFC proposed certain cuts, and the producer of the film had implemented them. It had asked the film's producer to arrange for a private screening of the movie and the trailer on Wednesday itself for the counsels appearing in the matter, and posted the batch of pleas for further hearing on Thursday (July 10). (With inputs from IANS)
NDTV
10-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
High Court Stays Release Of 'Udaipur Files', Asks Centre To Take A Call
In a setback for the makers of Udaipur Files, the Delhi High Court has stayed its release just a day before it was supposed to start being screened in theatres. The film is based on the gruesome murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal, who was beheaded in Udaipur in 2022 and the petitioners - Maulana Arshad Madani, President of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, and journalist Prashant Tondon = had sought a permanent ban on its release, arguing that it promotes hate speech, targets a community and could incite communal tension. During the over five-hour hearing on Thursday, a division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal asked the Centre to take a call on the petition and decide, within a week, whether the film should be released.
India Today
08-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Top Muslim body approaches High Court, seeks stay on release of Udaipur Files
Maulana Arshad Madani, President of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, has filed a petition before the Delhi High Court seeking to restrain the release of the film Udaipur Files, scheduled to hit theatres on July film is based on the 2022 murder of Kanhaiya Lal Sahu in Udaipur. The matter is expected to be heard on Wednesday, July to a report in Bar and Bench, the petition raises serious concerns over the content of the movie's trailer, alleging that it portrays the killing of Sahu as being carried out with the complicity of Muslim community leaders. According to the petitioner, this narrative is not only misleading but also has the potential to incite communal "The trailer portrays an entire community in a prejudicial light, violating the right to live with dignity guaranteed to all citizens," the plea states. It describes the film as "highly provocative" and capable of inciting communal tensions and disturbing public petition goes on to assert that the film presents a "deeply divisive and inflammatory narrative," including references to the sensitive and sub-judice matter of the Gyanvapi Masjid, which is currently pending before both the Varanasi District Court and the Supreme Court of India.'The content of the trailer not only appears to specifically target the Muslim community, by depicting a highly prejudicial and distorted view in order to promote a complete breakage of fraternity, cause communal disharmony, but also deliberately references the sensitive and contentious issue of the Gyanvapi Masjid, which is presently sub judice before the District Court of Varanasi as well as before the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India,' the petition objections were raised regarding the film's alleged amplification of controversial remarks previously made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nupur Sharma, which had sparked nationwide unrest. The petitioner contends that by reviving these issues, the film endangers the secular and pluralistic character of Indian petition also strongly objects to scenes in the film that purportedly depict Muslim religious figures engaging in homosexual acts with underage boys, calling such depictions "highly objectionable" and harmful.'Artistic expression, no matter how evocative, cannot be permitted to become a vehicle to crush fraternity and uproot the ethical foundations of the nation as enshrined in the Constitution,' the petition Madani has requested the court to issue directions prohibiting the release, screening, distribution, or public exhibition of the film. Additionally, the petition urges the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to ensure the immediate removal of the film's trailer from all digital and social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter).Apart from director and producer of the movie, the petition has also added the distributor, Reliance Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Google, X and Meta as the parties.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Delhi
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Jamiat chief moves Delhi HC to seek stay on release of film on Kanhaiya Lal murder case
A petition has been filed before the Delhi High Court seeking to stay the release of 'Udaipur Files', claiming that the movie based on tailor Kanhaiya Lal murder case has potential to inflame communal tensions and disrupt public order in the country. The petition has been filed by Maulana Arshad Madani, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president and principal of Darul Uloom Deoband, and is likely to come up for hearing on Wednesday. Madani has claimed in the petition that a trailer of the movie, released on June 26, 2025 was replete with dialogues and instances that had led to communal disharmony in 2022, and carries every potential to again stoke the same communal sentiments. "The movie, in fact unabashedly depicts court scenes, the statement made by a sitting chief minister supporting one party in the case and also explicitly mentions the controversial statement made by a politician - Nupur Sharma - which had resulted in communal violence and, in turn, the gruesome murder of Kanhaiya Lal," the petition claimed. It said that a mere viewing of the trailer as released leaves no manner of doubt as to the plot of the movie as the trailer itself seeks to portray an entire community in a prejudicial manner, thereby violating the right to live with dignity for the members of the community. "The trailer itself is sufficient to demonstrate its highly provocative nature, capable of creating a wedge between the communities which may cause serious disturbance to public peace and public order across the country, which had demonstrably happened with the same set of statements that are now being repeated in the movie," it said. The petitioner said that while the murder of Kanhaiya Lal was carried out by two fanatics, the trailer seeks to falsely portray the same as being carried out with the complicity of the religious heads/leaders of the community. "The release of the film Udaipur Files has the potential to inflame communal tensions and disrupt public order," the petition claimed. The film's release may result in "vilifying an entire religious community, foster hatred and severely undermine the fabric of religious harmony in the country which amounts to a direct contravention of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution of India, as it promotes discrimination, and threatens the right to life with dignity and security for an entire community", it alleged. The petition also claimed that the film violates the constitutional morality by weaponising the freedom of expression to weaken the constitutional vision of a plural, inclusive, and secular India, and instead attempts to mainstream narratives that deepen social and religious divisions. "Artistic expression, no matter how evocative, cannot be permitted to become a vehicle to crush fraternity and uproot the ethical foundations of the nation as enshrined in the Constitution," it said.
India Gazette
07-07-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Plea in Delhi HC to halt release of 'Udaipur Files' over allegations of promoting communal hatred
New Delhi [India], July 7 (ANI): A plea has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking to halt the release of the Bollywood film Udaipur Files, which is reportedly inspired by the 2022 murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan's Udaipur. Filed by Maulana Arshad Madani, President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and Principal of Darul Uloom Deoband, the petition alleges that the film may incite communal discord and threaten social harmony. The petition cites the film's trailer, released on June 26, 2025, as containing inflammatory material. It includes alleged references to controversial remarks made by suspended political leader Nupur Sharma and portrays a current Chief Minister in a biased light. According to the petitioner, such elements could rekindle communal tensions reminiscent of 2022. The petition asserts that the trailer distorts the facts of the 2022 murder, implying a conspiracy involving religious figures and institutions, whereas the actual perpetrators were two individuals with extremist motives. The film is accused of portraying Deoband as a hub of radicalism and casting Islamic scholars in a negative role, an act the petitioner says threatens the dignity and safety of the community. The petition claims that Udaipur Files violates Articles 14, 15, and 21 of the Indian Constitution, which safeguard equality, protection from discrimination, and the right to a dignified life. It argues that artistic freedom cannot be used as a cover for spreading hate or polarizing society, warning that the film undermines India's secular values. The plea further objects to references in the film to unresolved legal disputes, such as the Gyanvapi Mosque case. It warns that dramatizing sensitive topics under litigation could be tantamount to contempt of court and fuel social unrest. The petition filed under Article 226 has also been lodged in the High Courts in Maharashtra and Gujarat. It names the Union Government, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), production houses and X Corps as parties to the case. The CBFC's decision to certify the film is being challenged as allegedly violating the Cinematograph Act of 1952 and related guidelines. Public Statements from Maulana Madani condemned the film as a calculated attempt to malign a religious community and weaken the nation's secular framework. He criticized the CBFC for allegedly failing its regulatory responsibilities and enabling divisive forces. He emphasised that the trailer includes deeply offensive content, especially relating to Prophet Muhammad and his wives, that mirrors previous controversies that sparked national and global outrage. Madani concluded by asserting that the right to free speech must not be misused to inflame religious sentiments. Legal steps, he stated, have been taken to hold both the film's creators and certifying authorities accountable. (ANI)
