"Putting stay on movie is absolutely wrong": Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain on Delhi HC's decision on 'Udaipur Files'

Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 13 (ANI): Senior advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain on Sunday said he disagreed with the Delhi High Court's decision to stay the release of the film 'Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder.'
Jain said the stay order is a "total violation of the set mandates of the law".
Speaking to ANI, Vishnu Shankar Jain said, "... I do not agree with the order of the Delhi HC. It is a total violation of the set mandates of the law so far. In a democratic setup, a pre-publication ban has been considered an extreme step. Putting a stay on the movie is absolutely wrong. The court refused to put a stay on many movies saying it would be a violation of the freedom of speech and expression."
He added that in a democracy, banning a film before its release is an extreme step and questioned how a film based on a real incident like Kanhaiya Lal's murder could harm social harmony.
"The HC has also said that if it bothers anyone, they should not watch the movie. Kanhaiya Lal, the the victim who was brutally murdered in Udaipur, has not been given justice, and if a film has been made on this incident, I don't understand how will it disturb the social harmony," Jain said.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday ordered a stay on the release of the film "Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder", which was scheduled to hit theatres on July 11.
The stay will remain in effect until the Central Government decides on the revision application filed by Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind against the certification granted by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal passed the interim order while hearing two petitions, one by Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind and another by journalist Prashant Tandon, challenging the CBFC's decision to grant certification to the film.
The petitioners argued that the film's release could disturb communal harmony and pose a serious threat to public order, given the sensitive nature of the subject.
The Court observed that since the petitioners had been relegated to invoke the revisional remedy under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, the release of the film must remain stayed until a decision is made on their application for interim relief.
"We provide that till the grant of interim relief is decided, there shall be a stay on the release of the film," the bench stated.
The movie is based on the 2022 murder of Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor in Udaipur, Rajasthan, who was brutally killed in broad daylight by two men allegedly angered by a social media post in support of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The incident had triggered national outrage and raised serious concerns about radicalisation and communal violence. (ANI)