MP High Court disposes of PIL against Ranaut's 'Emergency' as CBFC says no clearance given to film

Jabalpur: The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday disposed of a Public Interest Litigation filed against Kangana Ranaut-directed film Emergency after being informed that it has not received the Censor board certificate yet, a lawyer said.

The petitioner, represented by advocate N S Ruprah, had claimed that the film violated the fundamental rights of the Sikh community.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the counsel of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) informed the court here that the biographical drama had not yet been given a certificate, advocate Ruprah told reporters.

The film, thus, will not release on September 6 as scheduled, he said.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf then disposed of the petition, the lawyer informed.

The detailed order was awaited.

The high court on Monday had issued notices to Ranaut, the Union government, Censor board and others in response to the PIL filed by two Sikh organisations.

The PIL also sought an unconditional apology from Ranaut, who has co-produced the film, and other respondents. The BJP MP has played the lead character of former prime minister late Indira Gandhi in the film.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) last week sent a legal notice to CBFC seeking to prevent the release of the film. It alleged that the film's trailer depicted “erroneous historical facts that not only misrepresent the Sikh community but also promote hatred and social discord”.