Overview
- The court refused pleas to stay the Paresh Rawal-led film and noted the Cinematograph Act offers no internal review of CBFC certifications.
- The petitions were withdrawn with liberty to apply to the central government under Section 6 for revisional relief; no government action has been reported.
- Judges questioned why Rawal was named as a respondent, observing an actor is not responsible for a film’s content.
- The movie released on October 31 to sharply split reactions from critics and viewers, with the Tourism Guild of Agra publicly condemning its narrative.
- The controversy began with a poster showing the Taj Mahal’s dome lifting to reveal a Shiva figure, as Rawal defended the film as researched and not intended to create communal division.