No stay on release of Gangubai Kathiawadi; SC dismisses plea of adopted son

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea by Babuji Rawji Shah, who claimed to be the adopted son of Gangubai, seeking a stay on the release of Bollywood movie "Gangubai Kathiawadi".

"We dismiss the petition," a Bench headed by Justice Indira Banerjee said.

The film is set for release in Friday. The appeal against the Bombay High Court's order rejecting a similar relief was filed by Shah. Senior lawyer Aryama Sundaram for the film makers said: "We are dealing with a case where the film has not been seen yet."

Sundaram submitted that the objection cannot be to the title. "You cannot object to name of a person in the film. The objection can be that the film is defamatory to the person and for that the film has to be watched in entirety and not in bits and pieces."

He said the film was made in a proper manner and "no content of it is defamatory in nature." Lawyer Rakesh Singh, for the petitioner, said that family members can also be defamed.

He argued that the book on which the movie is based was also defamatory.

The Supreme Court sought to know the lines in the book which were purportedly defamatory. Justice Banerjee asked Shah to show the manner and mode of his adoption.

The court declared that there had been no legal adoption. (UNI)