Padmaavat producer approaches SC against the screening ban by four states

A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also comprising of Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud has admitted a plea filed by the producer of the controversial film & lsquo Padmaavat', challenging the ban imposed on the screening of the movie by some states. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat is scheduled to be released on January 25. However, the government of the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have already put a ban on the release of the movie, citing & lsquo law and order issues'. On Tuesday, the cabinet headed by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar formally approved the proposal made by its two ministers- Anil Vij and Vipul Goel, to ban the film in the state. Accordingly, the chief minister tweeted about the ban. The film's producer in his petition has challenged the authority and power of the state governments banning the movie when it was already earlier clarified by the Supreme court that the screening of the movie can only be suspended temporarily if there is any law and order problem in that area. However, no complete ban can be imposed on the film. The petitioner also contended that they have already made several amendments in the film including the film's title, in pursuance of the suggestions made by Censor Board. On December 30, the Censor Board cleared the film for release with a UA certificate and suggested its name be changed from the earlier 'Padmavati' to & quot Padmaavat& quot . The film ran into trouble when a Public Interest Litigation was filed in the Supreme court seeking a ban on its release for allegedly promoting Sati- the practice of a widow immolating herself in her husband's funeral pyre. The film was originally scheduled to be released on December 1, 2017, however, due to the repeated threats and violence by the Rakuput group-led by Rajput Karni Sena, the film's release was postponed. The censor board, headed by Prasoon Joshi, had then appointed a panel of historians to look into the claim that the film contains historical inaccuracies. The Haryana's BJP leader, Suraj Pal Amu, had also led protests against the film and had even offered Rs. 10 crore as & quot reward to behead& quot Bhansali and the film's lead actor Deepika Padukone.