Delhi court halts Mohalla Assi release

The Allahabad high court today fixed July 6 as the next date of hearing of a PIL seeking direction against clearance to Sunny Deol-starrer 'Mohalla Assi', alleging that the film hurts religious sentiments.

Days after the makers of Sunny Deol-starrer Mohalla Assi fought with leaked trailer and the backlash thereafter for overuse of abusive language, fresh trouble is now brewing.

A Delhi court restrained the countrywide release of , helmed by censor board member Chandraprakash Dwivedi, saying a prima facie case was made out that the movie contained "filthy language". Civil Judge Kishor Kumar restrained the release, which was scheduled for July 3.

The court's order came on a petition filed by Delhi resident Gulshan Kumar seeking stay on the release. Kumar's counsel Sachin Mishra told the court that a character in the film dressed as Lord Shiva was depicted using very abusive and filthy language, and charging a few hundred rupees for photographs with people at a ghat. The court, after watching the movie trailer, observed that it revealed that the movie was based on the Assi Ghat in Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganga river. It also observed that in the trailer, the characters were shown using very filthy language.

The court opined that use of such language by Lord Shiva may hurt religious sentiments of the people in case the movie is released and seen by public at large. "Therefore, at this stage, a prima facie case is made out that until the religiously hurting scenes and dialogues/words wherein the abusive and filthy language has been used are removed, the movie should not be released," the court said.

Meanwhile, the Allahabad high court has fixed July 6 as the next date of hearing of a PIL seeking direction against clearance to , alleging that the film hurts religious sentiments. The court had directed the counsels of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the Centre to seek instructions for placing their responses but their response could not be placed before it.

On June 26, the Lucknow bench of justices Arun Tandon and Anil Kumar had issued notices to Chairman of CBFC Mumbai and the Centre on the PIL, filed by 'Hindu Front For Justice', a group of 11 local lawyers. The petitioners had sought a direction to ensure that trailer of the film is not exhibited in any manner, in public or on social media, till the time necessary certificate is granted by CBFC.

The petitioners alleged that from the trailer of the film, it appears that the "producer, director and actors have acted in most irresponsible manner and have degraded, as if intentionally, the cultural background of the religious place Kashi".

It was also alleged that they have "intentionally tried to tarnish the image of Lord Shiva, Hindu saints and women". Petitioner counsel HS Jain submitted that in the trailer, Lord Shiva has been shown using abusive language.

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