Bombay high court refuses to order certification of Kangana Ranaut's 'Emergency'

Emergency movie: The Bombay high court asked the censor board to consider the objections raised against the film and then certify it by September 18.

Updated on: Sep 4, 2024, 14:08:06 IST

By HT News Desk

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In a major setback for Kangana Ranaut's ‘Emergency’, the Bombay high court on Wednesday refused to order certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for the movie.

Kangana Ranaut in a still from the film 'Emergency'

A division bench of Justices BP Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla, they cannot issue any directions as the Madhya Pradesh high court has already ordered the censor board to consider objections to the movie before certifying it.

“The Madhya Pradesh HC has given the CBFC a direction. If we give any relief today then it would be directly in contravention to that order. We will be asking CBFC to breach another HC order if we pass any order today. We cannot do that. Judicial propriety demands that of us,” the bench said.

The Bombay high court further asked the censor board to consider the objections raised against the film and then certify it by September 18.

“We know that there is something else happening behind. We don't want to comment on it. The CBFC shall consider the objections and take a decision by September 18,” it said.

The next hearing in the case will be held on September 19.

This comes a day after Zee Entertainment Enterprises, the co-producer of the movie ‘Emergency’, approached the Bombay high court to seek the film's release and a censor certificate.

The petition filed in the high court said that the censor board “arbitrarily and illegally” withheld the film's censor certificate. The petition also claimed that the censor board was ready with the certificate but not issuing it.

Madhya Pradesh High Court's order

On Tuesday, the Madhya Pradesh high court heard petitions filed by Sikh groups claiming that the Kangana Ranaut-starrer film contains scenes that may hurt their religious sentiments and may, hence, cause unrest. The court directed the censor board to consider the representation of the petitioner Sikh groups raising objections to the film before issuing the certificate to the movie.

The CBFC was directed to carry out this exercise and decide expeditiously.

‘Emergency’ film release postponed

Previously scheduled for release on September 6, the Kangana Ranaut-starrer biographical drama is caught up in controversy after Sikh organisations, including the Shiromani Akali Dal, objected, accusing it of misrepresenting the community and getting historical facts wrong.

Following this, the release of the film was postponed indefinitely.

Ranaut, the BJP MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, has directed and co-produced the film, besides playing the lead role of the late former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

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HT News Desk
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