The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought clarification from the concerned parties regarding the Supreme Court’s oral observation made during a related proceeding on the release of the film ‘Udaipur Files’, which is based on the 2022 murder of Udaipur-based tailor Kanhaiya Lal.
A Supreme Court bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi had on Wednesday declined an urgent listing of a plea seeking to block the film’s release, stating orally: “Let the film be released.” The plea had been filed by a lawyer representing one of the accused in the murder case, who argued that the movie’s release could prejudice the ongoing trial.
Referring to this oral observation, a division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal of the Delhi High Court questioned whether the top court had actually allowed the film’s release. “In newspapers we saw the matter was in SC, which was refused, saying ‘let the screening go on’,” the bench remarked.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioners who are demanding a ban on the film, clarified that only an urgent mentioning of the case was made before the Supreme Court, and no formal stay request was heard. “Mentioning was rejected, not the request for stay. The SC did not even see the case file,” Sibal submitted, requesting time to seek clarification from the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the High Court on Wednesday had directed the producers of Udaipur Files to arrange a special screening for the petitioners opposing the release. The film is currently scheduled to release on July 11.
The film is based on the gruesome killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in June 2022, allegedly by Mohammad Riyaz and Mohammad Ghous, who later released a video claiming the act was in retaliation to the victim’s social media post in support of former BJP leader Nupur Sharma. The case is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the accused are facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The trial is ongoing in a special NIA court in Jaipur, while the Delhi High Court has listed the matter for further hearing at 2:30 PM on Thursday.
