The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the film Nanak Shah Fakir for an all-India release on April 13. The producer of the movie had alleged that the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the top Sikh body, had asked him not to release the movie, which is based on the life and teachings of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev, PTI reported.
Despite the court’s order, the Punjab government might ban the movie’s screening, unidentified senior officials in the chief minister’s office told ABP Sanjha. A formal announcement is expected to be made in the evening, the news channel reported.
The Central Board of Film Certification had cleared the movie on March 28, after which the SGPC asked the producer not to release it. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud said on Tuesday that once the censor board had cleared the film, no one had the right to stop its release. The bench also asked all states to maintain law and order to ensure that the film is released without trouble.
The film’s producer, Harinder S Sikka, had approached the top court to seek protection of his fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression, and the right to propagation of religious views. He claimed that “certain sections of people” had a vested interest in stalling the release of the movie.
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