The Madhya Pradesh high court on Monday issued notices to actor Kangana Ranaut, the Centre, censor board and others on a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the screening of her upcoming Hindi film Emergency on the ground it contains scenes that violate fundamental rights of Sikhs.
The PIL has stated that Emergency features scenes which violate fundamental rights of the Sikh community and sought an unconditional apology from the actor-politician, who plays the lead role in the movie, and other respondents.
The Bharatiya Janata Party Lok Sabha MP from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi portrays former prime minister Indira Gandhi in the film scheduled for release on September 6.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf here issued the notices, returnable in 24 hours, to respondents during preliminary hearing on the PIL filed by two Sikh organisations.
The court ordered sending of the notices through electronic mode to respondents and added it is returnable (with their replies on issues raised in the plea) by September 3, the petitioners' counsel, N S Ruprah, told PTI over the phone.
The court fixed the next date of hearing on Tuesday (Sept 3).
The Jabalpur Sikh Sangat and the Shri Guru Singh Sabha, Indore, have filed the plea stating that Sikhs are directly affected by the film and have thus chosen to move the court for protection of their dignity and honour enshrined in the Constitution, he added.
The petition seeks direction to the Union government and the Madhya Pradesh government to restrict screening of the movie across the country, particularly in the central state, Ruprah added.
Furthermore, the plea seeks direction to Ranaut and other respondents to tender an unconditional apology to the entire nation for making such an 'irresponsible' film and pay exemplary damages to a Sikh charitable organisation/institution.
The biographical political drama film has been directed and co-produced by the 38-year-old actor, the lawyer said. Notices have been issued to the Centre, the MP government, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Manikarnika Films Pvt Ltd, Zee Studios Ltd, Zee Studios Chief Business Officer Umesh K Bansal, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook India Online Services Pvt Ltd.
On Friday, Ranaut said her film is still stuck with the censor board contrary to reports that it has been cleared for release.
In a video message posted on X, the actor claimed she and CBFC members had received threats, and that she is under pressure not to show in the film the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.
