The CS refuses urgent registration of a petition challenging the maintenance of the HC AP in the release of the film "Lakshmi" NTR & # 39; s in the run-up to the elections

The Supreme Court today rejected the request for urgent registration of a motion for special leave filed against the High Court order of Andhra Pradesh suspending the publication and the exhibition of Telugu's film "Lakshmi's NTR". is based on the life of the former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, NT Rama Rao, told from the point of view of his second wife, Lakshmi Parvati. He was to be released on March 29th.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) opposed the publication of the film on the Lok Sabha elections, and its members filed a complaint in the High Court of AP to request its suspension. They claimed that the film was very pejorative towards TDP. They claimed that its director, Ram Gopal Verma, had posted his teaser in his personal twitter account, in order to gather the opinions of people as to whether the film would affect the verdict of the elections. According to the petitioners, the film was a calculated attempt to manipulate election results and called for the intervention of the Indian Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections.

On March 28, the division bench of judges AV Sesha Sai and U Durga Prasad Rao found at first sight the applicants' arguments that the screening of the film at a crucial stage before elections would affect the prospects of a political party, and ruled that it was necessary that the film court for "a better appreciation of the content".

Therefore, the court ordered the producer to arrange for the screening of the film at 4 o'clock on April 3, and suspended its release until that date.

Challenging this order, The producer of the film Rakesh Reddy went to the Supreme Court, claiming that "the honorable High Court had exceeded its jurisdiction in adopting the order under appeal, the Hon & # 39; judges are not supposed to organize film screenings and decide whether they should be released or not ". The SLP states that the film was produced by private parties without any political favoritism, and states that it has been authorized by the Central Board of Film Certification.

Although the film producer's lawyer spoke orally in CJI's court for the urgent registration of the motion, his application was denied.

(courtesy of the image: India Today)

Read the order of the AP HC

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