India News

Freedom of expression applies to films too: Madras HC on Mersal row

Published

9 years ago

October 27, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Madras high court dismissed a PIL that had sought revocation of censor certificate for the film that had mocked the Goods and Services Tax regime

In a major relief to the controversy-embroiled Tamil blockbuster Mersal, the Madras High Court, on Friday, dismissed a public interest litigation that had sought directions to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to revoke the censor certificate issued to the movie for its “anti GST” dialogues and held that “freedom of expression…applies to films as well”.

A Bench of Justices MM. Sundresh and M Sundar refused to entertain the PIL filed by Chennai-based lawyer A Ashvathaman on the ground that in a mature democracy, the voices of the minority cannot be stifled. The judges said that it was ultimately for the viewers to take a call on the contents of a movie.

Ashvathaman had, during arguments in the case, asked the court to revoke the censor certificate issued to Mersal while questioning how the film certification board had cleared the movie for public exhibition “even though the film was full of wrong propaganda about the country and contained fake dialogues and scenes which would lead to misconception about our new taxation system.”

“The story of the film does not demand the above said scenes and dialogues which contained fake and fabricated particulars… The CBFC is duty-bound to see that the young and impressionable minds are guarded against subtle machinations of pseudo artists and producers as the youngsters try to emulate what they have seen in the movies,” the petitioner had argued.

However, the court took a dim view of Ashvathaman’s contention and noted: “if the petitioner was really concerned about the public and society then he would have tackled issues such as untouchability and women’s safety. Instead the petitioner chose to go after a movie.”

The Bench, in its order, said: “Why was there no complaint against smoking and drinking in films or about the projection of LGBT? A film is only an imaginative story and it is not real life. If someone doesn’t like a film, a person can refrain from viewing it.”

While the petitioner had argued that the film was “spreading propaganda” about a decision taken by the Centre, the court reportedly noted that Opposition leaders till date were criticising demonetisation, the controversial decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016 which had flushed out 86 per cent of the currency in circulation from the economy. The court asked whether people should be gagged for expressing their views.

Referring to the Opposition’s ongoing criticism of demonetisation and juxtaposing it with Mersal’s anti-GST dialogues, the Bench said: “Can the court pass a gag order against him (an Opposition leader) from making such statements? This is democracy, and people have their right to freedom of expression, and this applies to films as well.”

Mersal, an Atlee Kumar directorial which stars Tamil actor Vijay, has been facing criticism from the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit for depicting scenes which criticize the GST regime as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India initiative.

The Madras High Court’s order came on a day when another row over the delay in the censor clearance for the Telugu version of the film was being attributed to alleged pressure from the BJP government at the Centre on the Censor board to ensure that the anti-GST references are omitted from the dubbed version of the movie.

However, soon after the Madras high court’s order, Censor board chief Prasoon Joshi declared that the movie’s Telugu version had been cleared “without cuts” even as he rued the fact that the reported delay in the dubbed version’s censor certification was being “unnecessarily sensationalized”.

“The process of approving a dubbed version of a film is the same as certifying a film for the first time. The CBFC website mentions very clearly how much time each part of the certification process takes. So far, the filmmakers had not received any communication about the Telugu certification, so how can they accuse us of delaying the release of their film? This is not done. The film certificate has been issued for the Telugu dubbed version without any cuts,” Joshi said on Friday.

The censor Board chief added: “I am surprised with the accusations on the CBFC for the delay. It’s a usual process which is getting unfairly and unnecessarily sensationalized”.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Related Topics:Delhi High Court Madras High Court Tamil Nadu

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Yogi Adityanath takes a dig at Akhilesh Yadav over Ram Temple visit plan

Yogi Adityanath’s remarks came after the Samajwadi Party announced that Akhilesh Yadav would visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on December 12.

Published

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November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday took an apparent swipe at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his planned visit to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, saying those who had fired on Ram devotees should first apologise to them and to the saints.

Yogi made the remarks while addressing the 10th edition of Deepotsav in Ayodhya. He did not name Akhilesh Yadav directly.

Yogi’s remarks come after Akhilesh’s Ayodhya visit plan

The chief minister’s comments came after the Samajwadi Party announced that Akhilesh Yadav would visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on December 12. It would be his first visit to the temple since its inauguration, according to the report.

Yogi said those who had earlier neglected and insulted Ayodhya, opened fire on Ram devotees and subjected saints to lathicharge should come to the city only after seeking forgiveness.

“Let them apologise to the devotees of Lord Ram; let them apologise to the saints,” Yogi said, adding that they should repent for their past actions.

Reference to 1990 firing on kar sevaks

Yogi’s remarks referred to the 1990 police firing on kar sevaks during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. At the time, the Uttar Pradesh government was headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav’s father.

The chief minister said those who had once “bloodied” Ayodhya were now remembering the city. He also criticised political leaders over their conduct at religious gatherings, referring to the decorum of a katha.

Akhilesh has not yet visited the Ram Temple

Akhilesh Yadav has visited Ayodhya earlier but has not so far visited the Ram Temple. The SP leader was in the city on October 8 to attend a Bhagwat Katha organised by party leader Pawan Pandey.

According to the report, Akhilesh and his wife, Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav, are scheduled to offer prayers at the Ram Temple and Hanumangarhi on December 12.

The planned visit comes amid political activity in Ayodhya ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due by February 2027.

Yogi highlights Ayodhya’s transformation

During his Deepotsav address, Yogi also spoke about the changes in Ayodhya and described the city’s transformation as an ideological victory.

He said those who had previously neglected Ayodhya were now witnessing its development. He also said Lord Ram represented India’s national consciousness, culture, values and self-respect.

The chief minister further recalled the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and said Ayodhya had regained the glory for which kar sevaks and saints had struggled.

India News

Ahead of Diwali, Yogi govt hikes DA by 5% for UP government staff

The Uttar Pradesh government has increased Dearness Allowance by 5 percentage points, taking it from 58% to 63%. The revised rate will benefit lakhs of eligible employees ahead of Diwali.

Published

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November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a 5 per cent increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees ahead of Diwali. With this revision, the DA rate has increased from 58 per cent to 63 per cent, providing financial relief to lakhs of eligible employees across the state.

The revised allowance will be effective from July 1, 2026, according to the government announcement. A government order was also issued on Saturday, November 7.

The enhanced DA will be paid along with employees’ regular November 2026 salaries.

Which employees will benefit from the DA hike?

The decision covers regular state government employees and several other categories of eligible staff.

These include employees of aided educational and technical institutions, regular and full-time employees of urban local bodies, work-charged employees and personnel drawing salaries under University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scales.

The revision is expected to benefit a large section of the Uttar Pradesh workforce ahead of the festive season.

What happens to the DA arrears?

The revised DA rate will apply retrospectively from July 1, 2026. Consequently, employees will also be entitled to arrears for the period preceding the November salary payment.

The government has made provisions for the payment of the arrears for July to October 2026. These amounts will be credited to employees’ provident fund accounts, according to the reported payment arrangements.

The enhanced allowance for November will be reflected in the regular salary for that month.

The decision comes ahead of Diwali and will provide additional financial relief to eligible government employees in Uttar Pradesh.

India News

Himanta Sarma to approach court over threat to gherao home in Zubeen case

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said his government would approach the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court over a threat to gherao his residence if two prime accused in the Zubeen Garg death case are granted bail.

Published

8 hours ago

November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the state government would bring before the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court a threat by a group to gherao his residence in connection with the Zubeen Garg death case.

Speaking to reporters, Sarma described the threat as a serious matter, saying it posed a danger to his family and could amount to a direct attempt to murder.

The development comes ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on November 30 of the bail petitions filed by Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma, the two prime accused in the case.

Why Himanta Sarma plans to approach the courts

Sarma said he had instructed the state government’s legal department to bring the matter to the notice of both the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court.

The Chief Minister objected to the group threatening to target his residence rather than holding a protest near the Chief Minister’s Office.

He said those questioning the judicial process should approach the Supreme Court or the high court instead of targeting him. Sarma also maintained that the courts should be allowed to carry out their work.

According to him, attempts to question the judicial process in this manner could obstruct the path of justice.

What the group said about the bail pleas

The Zubeen Garg Nyay Samiti, led by Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi, had announced on Thursday that it would gherao the Chief Minister’s residence under certain circumstances.

The group said it would carry out the protest if Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma were granted bail or if the Assam government failed to mount an effective legal opposition to their bail pleas.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the bail petitions of the two accused on November 30.

Bail granted to two accused in the case

The Gauhati High Court granted bail to singer Amritprava Mahanta, an accused in the Zubeen Garg death case, on October 9. She was granted bail against a bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount.

The high court has also granted bail to Sandipan Garg in the case.

Referring to the bail order concerning Amritprava Mahanta, Sarma said it mentioned that 160 witnesses had not named her during the court hearing, despite having done so during the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Responding to questions over the development, Sarma said the witnesses should be questioned about the discrepancy rather than him.

What happened to Zubeen Garg?

Singer Zubeen Garg died in Singapore on September 19 last year while swimming in the sea.

Police in Singapore had said that no foul play was involved in his death. Garg had travelled to Singapore to attend the fourth edition of the North East India Festival (NEIF).