Supreme Court asks The Kerala Story makers to add a disclaimer to the film
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Directed by Sudipto Sen, The Kerala Story released in cinemas on May 5 and sparked controversy by alleging that thousands of women in Kerala were forced to convert to Islam, and forced to join ISIS.
The Supreme Court of India asked the makers of The Kerala Story to add disclaimers while screening the film in West Bengal. The SC lifted the ban on the film in Bengal on Thursday. The court asked the makers to add a disclaimer that the film is a fictionalised account of events and there is no data to back its claims that 32, 000 women were forced to convert to Islam and join ISIS.
Judges led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said the state government has to maintain law and order as the film has been granted certification by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
"Prima facie we are of the view that the prohibition by West Bengal is not tenable on the basis of material before. Thus, the order banning the film is stayed," the court ordered.
The court ordered the makers to add the disclaimer by 5 pm on Saturday. The court added, that it should say, "there is no authenticated data to back up the suggestion on the figure of conversion and the film represents the fictionalised version."
It also asked Tamil Nadu to ensure the safety of moviegoers, taking note that while the state had not banned the film, theatre owners had decided to stop screening it due to security concerns.
Friday, May 19, 2023 at 8:21 am