J&K HC to hear PIL seeking stay on release of movie 'Shikara' on Friday

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court will hear on Friday a public interest litigation seeking a stay on the release of Hindi movie 'Shikara' which is based on exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in 1990.

The petition, filed by three social activists, is seeking stay on release of the movie on the grounds that besides not being based on facts, it was also "communal" in nature.

"In view of the averments made in the petition and the relief claimed, we feel that there is a real urgency involved in the matter and that the response of the official respondents should be obtained in the context of the interim relief prayed for by the petitioners," a division bench of Justices A M Magray and D S Thakur said in the order while issuing notices to the Centre and the Union Territory administration.

The bench proposed to post the matter for Friday in the morning session for having the response of the respondents, especially the official ones.

The court also directed the advocate general of the Jammu and Kashmir UT to appear on Friday in connection with the PIL.

"Notice is also directed to be issued to the learned Advocate General for appearance before the court tomorrow. List tomorrow (Friday), 07.02.2020 in the morning session,"  the court said.

The petition was filed in the High Court earlier this week. The activists have sought a review and editing of the "objectionable" scenes and narrations of the movie which, they claim, blames the entire Kashmiri population for the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in 1990.

The petitioners have maintained that the trailers of the movie that are being shown on the television indicate that the movie has the potential of communal polarisation.

The petition seeks directions to the respondents including the producer and director of the movie Vidhu Vinod Chopra to withhold the release of the movie on February 7 till it is reviewed,  scrutinised and censored by appropriate authorities.