Padmaavat row: SC will take up contempt pleas against 4 states

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear on Monday two separate petitions seeking contempt action against four state governments which failed to control rampaging protesters on Wednesday and the Shree Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena for violating its order allowing the all-India release of controversial Bollywood film Padmaavat.

“All fresh petitions will be taken up on Monday,” a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said on Thursday.

On Monday, the court is also slated to take up a plea, filed by lawyer M.L. Sharma, alleging that the film producer had not removed objectionable  portions ordered to be deleted by the censor board.

The apex court’s decision to take up the contempt pleas came on a day when Rajput groups continued protests in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, blocking roads and holding rallies. In Haryana, 18 people were arrested for Wednesday’s attack on a school bus in Gurgaon, which triggered outrage across the country.

Meanwhile, the producers of the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed film, which released in over 4,000 screens across the country on Thursday, claimed that one million people watched the film on its opening day.

One of the contempt petitions to come up on Monday before the bench, which will include Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, will be of Congress supporter Tehseen Poonawalla who has sought action against governments of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh for their failure in containing mobs opposing the film.

The other petitioner, Vineet Dhanda, a lawyer, has demanded initiation of contempt proceedings against Karni Sena and its office-bearers for allegedly holding violent protests against the film in several states.

Refusing to ban the Rs 190-crore movie, the Supreme Court on January 18 set aside the ban imposed by some states on the film’s release and restrained other states from banning the movie, paving the way for its all-India release.

Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh had moved the apex court with a plea, seeking recall of the SC order, which was dismissed on January 23. The had ordered the states to ensure security ahead of its release.

Both the contempt petitions have referred to the various apex court orders allowing exhibition of the movie in theatres with the observation that maintaining law and order is the duty of state governments.

After, the apex court had trashed several petitions seeking a stay on Padmaavat’s release on various grounds, the producers moved the court to challenge a ban imposed by some states on the movie based on the saga of a  13th century battle between Maharaja Ratan Singh of Mewar and Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi.

The movie stars Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in the lead roles.