The Kerala high court on March 18 questioned the extent to which the state can interfere in regulating violence in visual media, including films, without infringing on the right to freedom of speech and expression. It said that while glorification of violence in cinema and other visual media can have an undesirable effect, any action in this regard must also take into account the point of fundamental right.
The high court was considering petitions filed on the basis of findings of the Justice Hema Committee report insofar as working conditions for women in the film industry were concerned. When the Kerala Women’s Commission raised concerns over the increasing depiction of violence in films, the high court said that a censor board existed but it operated on a different yardstick. It asked a critical question: whether depiction of violence in films served as mere glorification or a reflection of societal realities?