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The Kerala Story: Supreme Court To Hear Makers' Plea Against Ban in West Bengal

The bench listed the matter for hearing on Friday, 12 May.

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Law
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The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 10 May, agreed to hear a petition by the makers of the controversial movie, The Kerala Story, against the ban imposed on the film by the West Bengal government. The plea also challenges the Tamil Nadu Multiplex Association's refusal to screen the film in the state.

Senior Advocate Harish Salve, who represents the filmmakers, brought up the matter before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha.

The bench listed the matter for hearing on Friday, 12 May.

The filmmakers invoked Article 32 of the Constitution to argue that a state government lacks the authority to prohibit a movie that has received certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for public exhibition.

As for Tamil Nadu, they contended that the "informal messaging" by state authorities prompted the exhibitors to withdraw the screenings, as per LiveLaw.

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On Tuesday, 9 May, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a different petition challenging a Kerala High Court order that refused to stay the release of the movie, which has been accused of distorting figures and maligning communities. The plea was listed by senior advocate Kapil Sibal.

Why Is Film Facing Pushback From WB, TN?

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued a ban on The Kerala Story on Monday, 8 May, "to maintain peace in the state" and avoid incidents of hate crime and violence.

She asked the chief secretary to ensure that the film is withdrawn from theatres across the state.

Calling it a "distorted" film, the chief minister said:

"Why did they make Kashmir Files? To humiliate one section. What is this Kerala files? If they can prepare Kashmir files to condemn the Kashmiri people... now they are defaming Kerala state also. Everyday they are defaming through their narrative."

While the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government has not expressly banned The Kerala Story, the Tamil Nadu Multiplex Association, on Sunday, 7 May, announced that it would stop screening the film in the state, citing fear of protests and poor audience turnout.

M Subramaniam, president of the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association, was quoted by PTI as saying:

"The film was only shown in a few multiplexes owned by pan-India groups, mostly PVR. Locally-owned multiplexes had already decided not to show the film, as it did not have any popular stars. In Coimbatore, for instance, there were two shows so far – one on Friday and one on Saturday. Even those did not do well. Given that, theatres decided that it was not worth going through the threat of protests and such."

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