The Delhi high court today (May 9) asked the producers of Jayeshbhai Jordaar to show it a scene in the film, depicting pre-natal sex-determination, to make sure that a serious issue like female infanticide was not trivialised in the film. A division bench of the court said that they would not allow the film’s release unless they saw the relevant part themselves.
A Public Interest Litigation was filed in the high court by NGO Youth Against Crime, demanding that the scene which shows a clinic where sex-determination can be done should be deleted from the movie. The NGO argued that though the film was based on the theme of female infanticide and aimed to promote awareness about saving girl children, its trailer advertised the use of ultrasound for sex-determination, which, in reality, was prohibited under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994.
The judges saw the trailer of the film which is slated for release on 13th May. They remarked that there was nothing in the trailer that showed that sex-determination was a crime under the law. They added that an act like pre-natal sex-determination cannot be trivialised and that from the trailer, it appeared that the family had taken the pregnant woman to the clinic to check the sex of the foetus as if it was a routine thing. The judges concluded, “The movie may go on to give a good message, but for this scene, there is no such message. There is no disclaimer on this either.” When the advocate appearing for producers Yash Raj Films pointed out that there was a disclaimer in the trailer which said that sex-determination of a foetus was a crime, the judges said that the warning was in such small fonts that it was barely visible or legible.
The case was listed for hearing in the post-lunch session today for further consideration. However, the bench did not assemble later. The counsel appearing for Yash Raj Films said that they would supply an encrypted copy of the movie to the court either today or by tomorrow, for the examination by the judges.
The matter has been listed for May 10.