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A scene from Emergency starring Kangana Ranaut | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday issued a notice to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) seeking its response on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed against the release of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kangana Ranaut’s film ‘Emergency’.
Notices were issued to Ms Ranaut, her production house Manikarnika Films, the central and Madhya Pradesh governments, Zee Studios and social media platforms.
A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf issued a notice and asked the CBFC to clarify whether the biopic on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in which Ranaut is playing the role of the former Prime Minister, has been approved yet.
Notices have been sent to Umesh Bansal, Chief Business Officer of YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Zee Studios. The court has sought their response before the next hearing on September 3.
The bench was hearing a writ petition filed by two Sikh organisations – Jabalpur Sikh Sangat and Guru Singh Sabha, Indore – raising objections to the film’s trailer and its portrayal of the Sikh community. The petitioners said the scenes in the film violated the fundamental rights of Sikhs and sought an unconditional apology from Ranaut.
Objecting to the use of the word ‘Khalistan’, advocate Narinder Pal Singh Roopra, appearing for the petitioners, said that the depiction could lead to small Sikh children wearing turbans being called ‘Khalistanis’.
“In our place, small children go to school wearing turbans, Mr Rooprah said, “Others tease them by calling them Khalistanis. It is a matter of pride for every Sikh to join the Indian Army. Sri Guru Granth Sahib (the community’s religious text) has 1,430 pages and the word ‘Ram’ has been used 2,500 times. The entire history of Sikhs is so intertwined with Hindus that you cannot differentiate between Hindus and Sikhs.”
Alleging that Ms Ranaut has made an “irresponsible” film, the petitioners sought an unconditional apology from her to the nation besides paying damages to a Sikh charitable body.
This film is also written by Ranaut. It was earlier scheduled to release in November 2023, but it has been postponed several times. Earlier it was to be released on 6 September.
Ranaut, the Lok Sabha member from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, has on several occasions accused the CBFC of blocking the release of her film and said that CBFC officials have received threats over the film.
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