The Bombay High Court on Wednesday refused to direct the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to immediately issue a certificate to the Kangana Ranaut-directed film 'Emergency' and asked the body to decide on any objections or representations by September 18.
The two-judge bench was hearing a plea filed by Zee Studios, the co-producer of the film Emergency.
'Emergency', which is based on the life of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, is written, directed and produced by Ranaut. The film was slated to hit the screens on September 6 but has been postponed after Sikh organisations raised concerns over the portrayal of Sikhs and the accuracy of historical facts.
The court said that it could not pass any direction to the CBFC as the Madhya Pradesh High Court had already ordered the censor board to decide the representations made by the Jabalpur Sikh Sangat, which had objected to the film's content and its trailer.
"Judicial propriety demands such orders ought not be passed. We therefore, are unable to direct the CBFC to issue the certificate as sought by the petitioner. We, however, do not dispose of the present petition. We direct the CBFC to consider the objections," the bench said.
The court, however, noted that a huge amount of money goes into making a film and the matter could not be kept open-ended. "Movies are released on Fridays. There are crores and crores of money invested in this," the court said.
The court also rapped the CBFC after its counsel sought time, citing the upcoming Ganpati festival. The court said it could not be a ground to not work and further delay the process.
Reacting to the development, Kangana Ranaut's team tweeted, "The High Court has blasted the censor for illegally withholding the certificate of Emergency."
On Tuesday, the Madhya Pradesh High Court permitted two petitioners -- the Jabalpur Sikh Sangat and Sri Guru Singh Sabha -- to file a detailed presentation of their objections before the CBFC within three days.
The petitioners have said certain scenes in the film violated the fundamental rights of the Sikh community and sought an apology from Kangana Ranaut. During the hearing, the CBFC informed the court that it had not issued a final certificate for the film.
The Shiromani Akali Dal had also sent a legal notice to the CBFC, asking it to stop the release of 'Emergency'.
