'Loveyatri' row: SC says no coercive action against Salman Khan

The Supreme Court directed Thursday that no coercive action should be taken in any part of the country against actor Salman Khan in relation to his bollywood movie 'Loveyatri'.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra considered the submission that the movie, slated for all India release on October 5, has been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and despite this an FIR has been registered in Bihar and a criminal complaint is pending in Vadodara in Gujarat.

The bench took note of the plea of Salman, who is the producer of the film, and said that no coercive action should be taken against it relating to the content and the name of the movie, which was earlier called 'Loveratri".

The lawyer, appearing for Salman, said that once the Certificate has been granted by the CBFC, the producer is entitled to show the film in the theatres, and no criminal law should be set in motion because of such individual perception relating to the name or any song in the movie.

"Having regard to the said assertion, we think it appropriate to pass a protective order that no coercive action shall be taken against the petitioner relating to the film, namely, 'Loveratri'. That apart, no further FIR/Criminal Complaint/criminal proceeding shall be entertained by any investigating agency anywhere if the allegations relate to the said movie or the contents of the movie," the bench said.

Several private criminal complaints have been filed against the movie alleging that its name has hurt the religious sentiment of Hindus.

The film which was earlier named as 'Loveratri', but was changed to 'Loveyatri' by the producers keeping in mind that earlier name sounded like 'Navratri'.

The movie stars Salman's brother-in-law Ayush Sharma and Warina Hussain.