Context:
- Padmaavat movie portrays the 13th century historical battle between Maharaja Ratan Singh’s army of Mewar and Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi.
- Gujarat and Rajasthan had issued notifications prohibiting the screening of the film.
- Haryana had, in principle, agreed to a ban on the movie’s exhibition and Madhya Pradesh had made statements that they intend to ban the screening of the movie.
- The movie has been certified by the Censor Board.
Supreme Court order:
- The Supreme Court stayed the notifications and orders passed by certain States to prohibit the exhibition of Padmaavat.
- The court ordered all States to ensure that public law and order situation is maintained during the screening of the film across the country.
- The court ordered the States to protect the artistes and the people involved in the movie from threats.
- It further forbade the States from passing any order, notification which amounts to prohibition of the exhibition of the movie.
- The court said the grant of certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) under the Cinematograph Act of 1952 denudes the States of any power to exercise prohibition on the exhibition of the film.
- The apex court held that “once Parliament has conferred the responsibility and power on a statutory Board and the Board has certified the film, non-exhibition of the film by the States is contrary to statutory provisions”.