The Bombay High Court on Wednesday allowed the film Hamare Baarah, which has been accused of containing anti-Muslim tropes, to be released in theatres on June 21, Live Law reported.
The order came after the makers agreed to remove a dialogue and a verse from the Quran from the film. They also agreed to put in two disclaimers lasting 12 seconds each and to pay Rs 5 lakh to a charity recommended by the petitioner.
Hamare Baarah, directed by Kamal Chandra, was to be released on June 7 initially. The High Court, however, had stayed the release of the film till June 14 in an earlier ruling.
On June 13, the Supreme Court also stayed the release of the film till the Bombay High Court ruled on a petition challenging its release.
The petition filed in the High Court had alleged that the film was derogatory to the Islamic faith and married Muslim women in India, adding that the trailer also misquoted a verse in the Quran. It had sought a direction to the Central Board of Film Certification to revoke the film’s certification and restrain its release.
On Wednesday, a division bench of Justices BP Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla of the High Court suggested changes to the film that both the makers and the petitioner agreed to, reported Bar and Bench.
The Central Board of Film Certification, on its part, agreed to re-certify the film based on the changes.
In its earlier ruling, the High Court had found a prima facie case in favour of the petitioner. It had then directed the censor board to form a review committee to watch the film and give its feedback. However, the panel sought time to file a detailed response and the High Court subsequently permitted the release of the film.
The petitioner then moved the Supreme Court challenging the film’s release. On June 13, the Supreme Court, while staying the release, observed that its teaser was offensive enough to warrant concern over the contents of the entire film.
This came after the Karnataka government on June 5 barred the release of the film for two weeks on the grounds that it posed “possibilities of communal riots”.
The government was responding to petitions moved by several Muslim organisations alleging that Hamare Baarah showcased the community in a “provocative and insulting manner”.
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