Padmaavat: High Court issues contempt notice to CBFC chairman Prasoon Joshi

January 17, 2018

The Allahabad HC has issued a contempt notice to chairman of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Prasoon Joshi in connection with the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat.

On 25th January. Based on Mohammad Jayasi’s poem Padmavat, this film stars Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmini, Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji & Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh.

The Lucknow bench of the Court granted 3 weeks’ time to Prasoon Joshi for filing his response to the contempt notice. It fixed next hearing of the matter in the week commencing 12th February.

A bench of Justice Mahendra Dayal passed this order on the petition filed by Kamta Prasad Singhal, who had submitted that he had earlier filed a Public Interest Litigation(PIL) seeking ban on the release of the movie as it promoted Sati, which's an offence. After hearing the PIL, the HC had on 9th November 2017, dismissed the petition but, simultaneously it had permitted the petitioner to move his grievance through a representation to CBFC.

Accordingly, he moved the representation before the chairman of the board on 13th November 2017 but Joshi is yet to decide on it & 3 weeks time given to him by the HC has expired. At this, the HC issued contempt notice to Joshi.

While the story of Rani Padmini traditionally involves Jauhar - a ritual where women jump into fire to save their honour, the practice of Sati isn't likely to be part of the narrative. Sati used to be a practice of women sacrificing themselves at the pyres of their dead husband.