Supreme Court overturns Kerala Story ban in Bengal, but asks for disclaimer
The Supreme Court today overturned the Bengal government’s ban on the film, The Kerala Story, saying “law cannot be used to put a premium on public intolerance” (Mamata Banerjee had said the ban was to avoid “any incident of hatred and violence”), while, at the same time, ordering the film’s makers to add a disclaimer that there is no authentic data to back up their figure of conversion of women to Islam of 32,000.
The Supreme Court today stayed the ban on the film The Kerala Story in Bengal, in response to a petition by the film’s makers.
The apex court said, “Law cannot be used to put a premium on public intolerance, otherwise all films will land in the same spot.”
It, however, directed the film’s makers to ensure it carries a disclaimer clearly stating that the film is a fictionalised version of events and there is no authentic data to back up the figure of conversion of women to Islam of 32,000, by 5 pm on May 20.
The Bengal government had banned the film on May 8, vide an order under Section 6(1), read with Section 4, of The West Bengal Cinemas Regulation Act. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while ordering the ban, had said that it was to avoid “any incident of hatred and violence”.
