Fresh plea in SC against controversial movie 'Padmaavat'

Tryst of controversial movie 'Padmaavat' with the Supreme Court does not seem to be ending!
A lawyer, who failed in his twin attempts in the Supreme Court in getting Deepika Padukone-starrer stalled from being released, filed his third petition against the film on the eve of its all-India release and mentioned it before a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra today.
The bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, agreed to hear the fresh plea on January 29.
Lawyer M L Sharma, in the fresh plea, has referred to the apex court order of November 20 last year on his earlier plea, ordering expunction of certain details about the movie from his petition on the ground that the contents may create "disharmony".

The top court had dismissed the plea on November 20 last year saying it cannot pre-judge a movie which was then before the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for grant of certification.
While dismissing the plea, it had then said, "Needless to say, ... we think it apposite to strike off what has been stated in paragraph nos.17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 in entirety and what has been struck off by this Court should not be used otherwise.

"Pleadings in a court are not meant to create any kind of disharmony in the society which believes in the conceptual unity among diversity. "

The lawyer now says in the fresh plea that the contents regarding the film, which were ordered to be struck off from his plea, have been depicted in the movie and hence, they should also be removed.
The movie, which also has Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in lead roles, has been mired in controversies.
Initially, the apex court had trashed several petitions filed by Sharma and others seeking a stay on its release on various grounds.
Then the producers moved the court after certain states banned the movie based on the saga of a historic 13th century battle between Maharaja Ratan Singh and his army of Mewar and Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi.

The court, on January 18, set aside the ban and restrained other states from banning the movie, paving way for its all-India release on January 25.
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh then moved the apex court seeking recall of the SC order, which was dismissed yesterday.
Now, the fresh plea is before the apex court seeking chopping of certain scenes from the movie produced by Viacom 18 on the ground of its November 20 order.