The Bombay High Court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a stay on the release of the film “Jolly LLB 3”, which is scheduled to premiere on September nineteen. The petitioner argued that the movie’s trailer portrayed the judiciary in a derogatory light, pointing to a scene where judges were referred to as “Mamus.” According to him, such depiction amounted to a “mockery of justice".
The Bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad, however, declined to interfere, observing orally that criticism and mockery were not new to the judicial office. “We face such comments right from the first day of our judgeships. We are not affected,” the Court remarked.
This is not the first challenge to the film. The Allahabad High Court had earlier dismissed a similar petition, holding that there was nothing in the teaser or trailer that could be considered scandalous to the legal profession. In Madhya Pradesh, the High Court recently pulled up a petitioner for proceeding against the film without impleading its directors or producers, and the matter is still pending. Meanwhile, the Gujarat High Court has also directed a litigant to first examine the order of the Allahabad High Court before pressing their grievance.
Across these proceedings, the consistent allegation has been that the film tarnishes the image of the judiciary and the legal fraternity. However, thus far, Courts have shown little inclination to restrain its release.
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