Supreme Court rejects plea to stop screening of 'The Kerala Story'

The Supreme Court has declined a petition to halt the release of the Hindi film The Kerala Story, citing the need to challenge certification through the appropriate forum. The petitioner argued that the film was a form of hate speech and audio-visual propaganda.

The movie, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, follows the theme of religious conversion and features Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in lead roles. Actor Adah Sharma has defended the film, stating that it highlights the issue of Indian girls who have been recruited by ISIS after going missing.

During the hearing on May 2, senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Nizam Pasha informed the bench that the trailer for the film had garnered 16 million views, and that it constituted the "worst kind of hate speech".

The bench responded that there were many types of hate speech, and that the film had been certified and cleared by the board. The bench advised the petitioner to challenge certification through the appropriate forum rather than seek a stay on the movie's release.

Justice Joseph suggested that a substantial writ petition be filed for seeking an appropriate remedy, while Justice Nagarathna advised the petitioner to approach the high court first. Pasha argued that there was no time left as the movie was scheduled to be released on Friday, and filed an intervention application in the hate speech matter.

The bench rejected Pasha's argument and stated that it was not a valid ground for seeking a stay on the release of the film. The bench also warned against allowing anyone to approach the Supreme Court for such matters.