SC refuses to urgently list plea against film on Kanhaiya Lal murder case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to urgently list a plea challenging screening of the movie “Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal tailor murder”, and said “Let the film be released”.

A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi made the remark after a counsel appearing for one of the accused in the murder case said that release of the film will prejudice the trial in the matter.

The counsel said that the film will be released on July 11 and producers of the movie have put out trailers of the movie and there is apprehension that it will affect the trial in the case and violate the accused’s right to fair trial.

“Let the film be released. You mention the plea before the regular bench upon reopening (of the court after summer vacation),” the bench observed as it refused to urgently list the matter.

The petition was filed by Mohammed Javed, who is facing trial as the eighth accused in the case. He sought a stay on the film’s release till the trial in the case is over.

The petitioner has contended that the film appeared to be “communally provocative” from its trailer and promotional materials, and releasing the movie at this juncture, portraying the accused as guilty and the story as conclusively true, has the potential to seriously prejudice the ongoing proceedings.

Kanhaiya Lal, an Udaipur-based tailor in Rajasthan, was murdered in June 2022, allegedly by Mohammad Riyaz and Mohammad Ghous as an outcome of hate crime.

The assailants had later released a video claiming the murder was in reaction to the tailor allegedly sharing a social media post in support of former BJP leader Nupur Sharma after her controversial comments on Prophet Muhammad.

The case was probed by the National Investigation Agency and the accused were booked under stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), besides provisions under the Indian Penal Code.

The trial is pending before the special NIA court in Jaipur.

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