SC refuses to stay release of ‘Udta Punjab’

New Delhi: A day before the scheduled release of Udta Punjab, the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with the order of the Bombay high court allowing it with just one cut.

Refusing to stay the release, justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and Nageswara Rao directed the petitioner to approach the Punjab and Haryana high court, which is seized of a similar matter, a hearing in which is scheduled for Thursday.

On Wednesday, Human Rights Awareness Association, a Punjab-based non-governmental organization (NGO) moved the apex court, seeking a stay on the release of the film depicting drug abuse in the state.

Challenging the order of the Bombay high court, which allowed the release of the movie with one cut, the NGO submitted that the film shows Punjab in bad light, and added that the court should not have interfered with the decision of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

“Two expert bodies—Central Board of Film Certification and the reviewing committee suggested the 13 cuts after watching the movie. However, this has been reduced to one cut by the Bombay high court based on their reading of the script which cannot be held at par with watching it,” said Subramanium Prasad, counsel for the NGO.

He further contended that the Bombay high court had exceeded its jurisdiction by performing the function of the censor board.

On 13 June, the high court ruled that the controversial film could be released as per schedule on 17 June and agreed with one cut suggested by the CBFC.

The court said it had read the script “in entirety to see if the film encouraged drugs” but found that it did not challenge the sovereignty and integrity of India with its references.

Udta Punjab’s producers had approached the high court last week after CBFC refused to clear the film, seeking as many as 94 cuts to the movie.