Emergency movie row: Madhya Pradesh High Court sends notices to Kangana Ranaut, CBFC

Madhya Pradesh High Court issues notice to CBFC over Kangana Ranaut's 'Emergency' film, Sikh bodies object to portrayal.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday issued a notice to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) seeking its response on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed against the release of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kangana Ranaut’s film ‘Emergency’.

Notices were issued to Ms. Ranaut, her production house Manikarnika Films, Central and Madhya Pradesh governments, Zee Studios and social media platforms.

The notice was issued by a Division Bench headed by acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf, asking the CBFC to clarify if the film, a biopic on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, has been cleared yet. Ms. Ranaut plays the former Prime Minister in the film. 

Notices were sent to YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and the chief business officer, Umesh Bansal, of Zee Studios. The court has sought their responses before the next hearing on September 3.  

The Bench was hearing a writ petition filed by two Sikh bodies — Jabalpur Sikh Sangat and Guru Singh Sabha, Indore — objecting to the film’s trailer and portrayal of the Sikh community. The petitioners said scenes in the film violated the fundamental rights of Sikhs and sought an unconditional apology from Ms. Ranaut.

Objecting to the use of the word ‘Khalistan’, advocate Narinder Pal Singh Ruprah, who appeared for the petitioners, said the portrayal could lead to young Sikh children wearing turbans being called ‘Khalistanis’. 

“We have got small children going to the school wearing turbans. Others will tease them as Khalistanis. It is the pride of every Sikh to join the Indian Army. Sri Guru Granth Sahib (religious text of the community) has 1,430 pages and 2,500 times, the word ‘Ram’ has been used. The entire history of Sikhs is so amalgamated with Hindus that you can’t differentiate between Hindus and Sikhs,” Mr. Ruprah said.