“We are of the view that all the proceedings against it before different courts are a futile exercise …The film was released with certification. This should put a closure to the matters,” the Court said.
On Monday, the Supreme Court put a halt to the ongoing proceedings in multiple High Courts concerning the producers of the Hindi film Adipurush, which is based on the Hindu epic Ramayana and has faced allegations of offending religious sentiments.
Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia considered the pending cases against the film to be futile exercises.
Justice Kaul remarked, “All these matters must now come to a close; these are unnecessary proceedings in the High Courts.”
Following this, the court proceeded to dismiss the petitions, noting that the film had been released after obtaining the appropriate certification.
“In light of our previous decision on the same feature film, we believe that all proceedings against it in other courts are pointless. Therefore, we find it fitting to conclude these proceedings on the matter at hand. The film received certification for its release. This should bring the matter to a close,” the directive stated.
The film Adipurush has been mired in legal disputes since its release, with the filmmakers making several adjustments to scenes and dialogues in response to strong objections from the public.
Previously, in July, the Supreme Court had suspended orders and ongoing proceedings in various High Courts related to the producers of Adipurush.
During that time, the Court also rejected a plea to revoke the film’s certification for public screening. In a strongly worded order, the Court underscored the importance of cinematic rights.
“In this context, we may clarify that cinematic adaptations play with the source material to the extent allowed by the law. Article 32 does not empower this court to infringe upon the sensibilities of each individual. These are not matters that fall within the purview of this Court’s authority to decide in an appeal against certification. Anyone aggrieved by a decision of the appellate authority may pursue legal remedies,” the Court stated.
In the interim, T-Series, the production company responsible for Adipurush, lodged a petition with the Supreme Court challenging the orders and proceedings initiated against the film’s creators by various High Courts. The primary petition filed with the highest court contested an Allahabad High Court order that had summoned the film’s creators in response to strong criticisms.
