India's Supreme Court on Friday (12) reprimanded the government of the eastern Indian state of West Bengal over its decision to ban 'The Kerala Story' film.
Coming down hard on the state's Trinamool Congress led by chief minister Mamata Banerjee, India's only woman CM, the court observed, "Why can't 'The Kerala Story' be released in Bengal? Is it about artistic freedom? The film is running in the rest of the country."
"West Bengal is not different from the other parts of the country," the top court ruled.
Makers of the controversial film moved the court seeking removal of a ban imposed on the film by Bengal and a shadow ban in Tamil Nadu. The top court issued a notice to both the states on a plea of the film's producers about the ban.
India's chief justice DY Chandrachud said the matter will now be heard on May 17.
Banerjee ordered an immediate ban on the film's screening on Monday (8) to avoid "any incident of hatred and violence".
In Tamil Nadu, which is ruled by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, owners of theatres and multiplexes issued orders to ban the film's screening citing law and order situation.
Senior Indian advocate Harish Salve had mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench featuring the chief justice and Justice PS Narasimha. He said the petition challenges the ban by the government of Bengal and the "de-facto" ban in Tamil Nadu.
In response to the plea, the bench also asked the Tamil Nadu government to specify measures that have been taken to provide adequate security to theatres screening of the film which was released on May 5.
"The state government cannot say that it will look the other way when theatres are attacked and chairs are being burnt," the bench told the legal representative of Tamil Nadu government, after he submitted that there is no ban.
"We are issuing notices to both the states and they may file their response by Wednesday. We will take up the matter on Thursday," the bench said.
Directed by Sudipto Sen, 'The Kerala Story' depicts how women from the southern state of Kerala were forced to convert to Islam and recruited by the terror group Islamic State.
A number of states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, on the other hand, have made the film tax free.
(With agency inputs)
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