The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to West Bengal goverment asking for a reason behind the ban on the controversial film The Kerala Story. It said to the state goverment that if other states and the rest of the country is screening the film in their theatres, there seems to be no reason for a ban on its screening. This move by the Supreme Court comes after the producers of the film filed a plea challenging the ban on the film.
West Bengal is not different from the rest of the country so why should the state ban the film, the top court asked. It also said to the West Bengal government that the ban should not come in between of the artistic value of the film. It said to the government that if people don’t like the movie, they will not watch the movie. But the ban on the movie is not right.
The Mamata Banerjee led West Bengal government had impossed a ban on The Kerala Story movie citing law and order condition in the state that peace be maintained and to avoid any untoward incident of hatred and violence.
The Supreme Court also asked the Tamil Nadu government what measures it had taken to provide security to the theatres screening the film. This came after the exhibitors in TN withdrew showing the film in cinema halls owing to security concerns out of the controvery surrounding the film.
The state government cannot say that it will look the other way when theatres are attacked and chaires are burnt, the Supreme court bench told the Tamil Nadu government.
The Sudipto Sen directed movie Kerala Story has been a centre of controversy after its trailer claimed that 32,000 women from Kerala went missing and joined the terrorist group ISIS. There were massive protests following the controvery and later the 32,000 figure was withdrawn from the trailer.
