New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to list for hearing tomorrow a petition filed by an accused in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case seeking a stay on the release of the movie 'Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder'.
The petition has been filed by Mohammed Javed, the eighth accused in the case, who contended that the film’s release would prejudicially affect his right to a fair trial as the trial is still ongoing.
Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy mentioned the matter before a bench comprising justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, which agreed to list it tomorrow along with the petition filed by the movie’s producer challenging the Delhi High Court’s order staying its release.
On July 10, the Delhi High Court had stayed the release of the film, allowing petitioners before it to approach the Central Government in revision against the certification granted by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
The order was passed on a batch of pleas, including one filed by Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani, contending that the film was communally divisive.
Yesterday (July 14), Jani Firefox Media Pvt. Ltd, the producer of the film, had mentioned its plea before the Supreme Court challenging the High Court’s stay order.
Kanhaiya Lal Teli, a tailor based in Udaipur, was brutally murdered in June 2022, allegedly by Mohammad Riyaz and Mohammad Ghous, who later released a video stating that the murder was in retaliation for Kanhaiya Lal’s social media post supporting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s controversial comments about the Prophet.
The case is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under charges framed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code.
The trial is currently underway before the Special NIA court in Jaipur.