Madhya Pradesh High Court dumps plea against Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency

Madhya Pradesh High Court disposes petition against Kangana Ranaut's film Emergency, CBFC to consider objections raised in plea.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday (September 3, 2024) disposed off a petition against the release of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kangana Ranaut starrer Emergency, after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) submitted that the clearance to the film has been kept on hold.

A Division Bench headed by acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf, however, directed the CBFC to consider the issues raised in the plea that was filed objecting to various parts in the movie’s trailer. 

Earlier on Monday (September 2, 2024), the High Court had issued notices to Ms. Ranaut, her production house Manikarnika Films, the CBFC, Central and Madhya Pradesh governments, Zee Studios, among other bodies connected to the upcoming film.

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

The petitioners had objected to use of word “khalistan” and claimed that the portrayal could lead to young Sikh children wearing patka (turban) being teased as “khalistanis”.

The CBFC submitted that a certificate had earlier been issued for the film but the same was kept on hold after the board received objections from various Sikh bodies.

In view of the pending certification of the film by the competent authority CBFC, the court refused to pass an order and noted that there was no point in “prejudging” the matter.