After Mumbai-based Raza Academy filed a petition in Delhi High Court, seeking a ban on the release of the film.
'Udaipur Files - Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder', Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court on Wednesday to stop the exhibition of the movie.
The film is based on the murder of a 40-year-old man in Rajasthan on June 28, 2022, for allegedly commenting on Prophet Muhammad on social media. A promotional video of the film was released on Monday.
Following a consultation between Maulana Mahmood Madani, president of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and rector of Darul Uloom, Deoband, Maulana Abul Qassim Noumani, the Tamil Nadu unit of the organisation filed a PIL which requested the court to issue a writ of mandamus directing the concerned authorities including the Principal Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu; the Central Board of Film Certification; and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to suspend the film's release and to ensure a re-examination and revision of its content in accordance with the law.
The petitioner raised concerns regarding the film's potential to disrupt communal harmony by portraying the Muslim community in a derogatory manner. The film depicted the beheading as the only punishment for blasphemy, a narrative that, the petitioner argued, dangerously stereotypes Muslims and incites hostility. The film carries a reference to Darul Uloom Deoband, India's largest Islamic seminary. The use of the slogan "Sar Tan Se Juda" in direct association with Deoband is seen as a deliberate attempt to malign not only the seminary but also the wider Muslim community, the petition said.
The petition says that the film portrays a former BJP spokesperson making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad, the very same remarks that had earlier triggered the murder and led to her expulsion from the party. Another scene allegedly depicts a Muslim scholar engaged in homosexual activity, which the petitioner said is an intentional insult designed to discredit Islamic scholars and the faith at large.
The petition argues that while Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression, it is subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2) to safeguard public order, decency, and morality. The petition claimed that the CBFC failed to uphold the statutory duties laid out under the Cinematograph Act and certification guidelines.
As the movie is scheduled to be released on July 11, 2025, the petitioner has sought an urgent interim injunction to restrain the exhibition of the film.
