SC rejects petition seeking stay on 'Padmavati's' release

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the petition seeking a stay on the release of movie 'Padmavati', saying that the Censor Board should take an independent view. The apex court also reportedly said that it cannot act as a substitute for the Censor Board.

While dismissing the petition, the Supreme Court said that the Censor Board has not yet issued a certificate to Padmavati, adding that it is an independent body and the SC should not intervene in their jurisdiction. The petition had claimed that the movie allegedly hurts the sentiments of the Rajput community by "distorting and twisting historical facts".

The petition, filed through advocate Somesh Chandra Jha, urged the court to intervene as the filmmaker has "wrongly depicted" Rani Padmavati in the movie. It further said that the producers of the film had taken undue liberty and completely changed the historical facts, dubbing it as "highly objectionable". Last week, Maharashtra Tourism Minister Jaykumar Rawal had demanded a ban on the film and said the state government would be writing to the Censor board on the issue. The film, starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, is slated for release on December 1.