New Delhi, April 11: The Supreme Court directed the Centre, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and all state governments on Tuesday to ensure that the film “Nanak Shah Fakir” is released across the country on April 13, Baisakhi.
Coming out strongly in defence of the right to free speech and expression, especially of artists and actors, the court said law and order must be maintained wherever the film is released “and no one shall be allowed to create any disturbance. It is the duty of the state to facilitate the enjoyment of a right which has the sanction of law”. The film will, however, not be released in Punjab as the producers have themselves decided against it.
Hearing a plea by the filmmakers, a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud frowned at vigilante groups attempting to assume CBFC’s role in the public screening of films. It also slammed SGPC for creating hurdles in the film’s release despite it having CBFC’s clearances. “We do not see how anybody, group, association or individual can create any kind of disturbance in exhibition of the film,” the judges said.
SGPC had initially appreciated the film and even agreed to promote it. However, after certain Sikh groups protested against its release, the Sikh religious body withdrew its support and asked the government to ban it. On Monday, Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, “banned” the film and asked Sikhs to stay away from it. Several Sikh organisations are objecting to the portrayal of Guru Nanak in the film, saying any on-screen depiction of a Sikh guru or his family members was against the tenets of Sikh religion.
