The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on May 2 moved the Supreme Court to seek a ban on the release of The Kerala Story on the ground that it made false claims about 32,000 women being converted to Islam through allurement and then sent to fight for terror organisation Islamic State (IS) along with a story line which was sure to drive a wedge between Hindus and Muslims. In the petition, Gulzar Ahmed Azmi, the Bombay-based legal cell secretary of the Jamiat, said, the film gave the message that apart from radical clerics who indoctrinated non-Muslims, seemingly friendly and educated Muslim youngsters were also secretly working to lure and convert non-Muslims at the behest of terrorist organisations.
Earlier in the day, while hearing a matter pertaining to hate speech, a bench of Justices K.M. Joseph and B.V. Nagarthna had refused to entertain a similar plea and said that the petitioners should move the appropriate forum.
“The film has got certification and has been cleared by the censor board. It’s not like a person getting on the podium and starts giving uncontrolled speech. If you want to challenge the release of the movie, you should challenge the certification and through appropriate forum,” the bench said.
Meanwhile, a PIL was moved in the Kerala high court, seeking a stay on the film’s release. After hearing brief arguments, the HC listed the matter for hearing on May 5, the day the film is scheduled for release.
The Jamiat petition in the apex court, moved through advocate Ejaz Maqbool, claimed that the film demonised the Muslim youth and added that its release would adversely impact the social relationship between the two communities and spread hatred, enmity and suspicion. It pleaded for a complete ban on the film’s release in cinemas and on OTT platforms on May 5. It alternatively asked the SC to direct the Central Board of Film Certification to identify incendiary scenes and dialogues so that the same may be removed from the film, and also to direct that the film be released with a disclaimer that it was a work of fiction and the characters in the film bore no resemblance to any person, living or dead.
As regards the number of people who have joined ISIS from India, the petition said, experts and responsible government sources agreed that the number was between 100 and 200. It added that the number of people who actually joined the ISIS was reportedly 66. “Therefore, the figure of 32,000 is obviously wrong,” it concluded.