This Article is From Aug 16, 2011

Apex court seeks UP's reply on Aarakshan

Apex court seeks UP's reply on Aarakshan

Highlights

  • The Supreme Court today declined to lift the ban on Prakash Jha’s film Aarakshan, imposed by the UP government and said it will hear the UP government before deciding the issue on Friday.
  • Producer-director Prakash Jha had on Friday (August 12) moved the Supreme Court seeking its direction to lift the ban imposed on the release of his film in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
  • Punjab and Andhra Pradesh have withdrawn the ban on the film in their states after minor modifications.
  • The UP government had on August 10 banned the film for two months citing law and order problems.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to reply by Thursday to filmmaker Prakash Jha's petition seeking a stay of the state's ban on the screening of his film Aarakshan.

It directed the matter to be listed for hearing on Friday.

An apex court bench of Justice Mukundakam Sharma and Justice Anil R. Dave issued notices to the central and the Uttar Pradesh governments on Jha's petition.

As senior counsel Harish Salve pressed for the stay on the ban order, Justice Sharma said they would like to hear the state government before taking any decision.

The court gave a short date as Salve submitted that any delay would further cause losses to the film as a long weekend is ahead.

Salve cited a precedent of the apex court staying a similar ban on film Jodhaa Akbar.

He told the court that a petition was filed in the Bombay High Court seeking restrain order on the screening of Aarakshan but that was dismissed.

Aarakshan, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone, deals with the sensitive issue of caste-based reservations in the Indian education system.The Supreme Court had earlier declined to lift the ban on Prakash Jha's film Aarakshan, imposed by the UP government and said it will hear the UP government before deciding the issue on Friday.

Producer-director Prakash Jha had on Friday (August 12) moved the Supreme Court seeking its direction to lift the ban imposed on the release of his film in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

Punjab and Andhra Pradesh have already withdrawn the ban on the film in their states after minor modifications.

Prakash Jha's controversial film, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Manoj Bajpai, released on Friday, August 12.
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