The Supreme Court on February 12 disapproved of the title of Manoj Bajpayee starrer Ghooskhor Pandat and clarified to the film’s producers that it would not allow its release if the title was not changed. It observed that the fundamental right to free speech and expression did not give anyone the licence to denigrate a citizen or community.
A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice on a PIL against release of the film. The court said, there were already fissures in society and the release of this film would only aggravate matters. “If you use your freedom to denigrate any section of society, we can’t permit it,” the apex court said. The producers’ lawyer informed the court that they were agreeable to change the title. The court asked them to inform it about the new title at the next hearing on February 19.
The film is directed by Neeraj Pandey. A writ petition against the title was earlier filed in the Delhi high court alleging that the film vilified one community. The high court disposed of the petition after the producers assured the court that the film’s title would be changed.