Declines to entertain plea against Censor Board’s refusal to certify ‘Rann’
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a writ petition by film director Ram Gopal Verma, challenging the Censor Board’s refusal to grant certification for his film ‘Rann’ for allegedly distorting the national anthem, and asked him to approach the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal for relief.
A vacation Bench of Justices V.S. Sirpurkar and R.M. Lodha dismissed as withdrawn the petition and asked the tribunal to decide on the matter in a month. The Bench made it clear that Mr. Verma could approach the Supreme Court again, if he was not satisfied with the tribunal’s decision.
Justice Sirpurkar told senior counsel Arun Jaitley: “We have read it. It [the national anthem] has been distorted, and it gives a totally negative sense. It seems every line of the national anthem has been filmed wrong. Nobody has any right to tinker with the national anthem. You go to the tribunal.”
In his petition, Mr. Verma said: “This song is part of a promotional film, which was submitted for certification to the Board for release on May 6. The Central Board of Film Certification, through the impugned order of May 8, has denied certification.”
He said the petition raised important questions of law: whether the impugned order takes a narrow, constricted and perverse ground of alleged distortion of the national anthem in the petitioner’s promo/song, more so when flags of such political parties as the Indian National Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party are tricolour and can be said to be distortion of the national flag?; can a song be composed in a respectful manner with the words of the national song, ‘Vande Maa Taram’ or the national anthem?; can there be a flag with the same colours as the national flag, but having other symbols in place of the Ashoka Chakra at the centre?; and can a citizen be prohibited from using the national symbol/anthem/song for artistic expression in a respectful manner?
He sought the order quashed and a directive to grant certification for the film.
Source:- The Hindu Tuesday, May 26, 2009
http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/26/stories/2009052656241300.htm
A vacation Bench of Justices V.S. Sirpurkar and R.M. Lodha dismissed as withdrawn the petition and asked the tribunal to decide on the matter in a month. The Bench made it clear that Mr. Verma could approach the Supreme Court again, if he was not satisfied with the tribunal’s decision.
Justice Sirpurkar told senior counsel Arun Jaitley: “We have read it. It [the national anthem] has been distorted, and it gives a totally negative sense. It seems every line of the national anthem has been filmed wrong. Nobody has any right to tinker with the national anthem. You go to the tribunal.”
In his petition, Mr. Verma said: “This song is part of a promotional film, which was submitted for certification to the Board for release on May 6. The Central Board of Film Certification, through the impugned order of May 8, has denied certification.”
He said the petition raised important questions of law: whether the impugned order takes a narrow, constricted and perverse ground of alleged distortion of the national anthem in the petitioner’s promo/song, more so when flags of such political parties as the Indian National Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party are tricolour and can be said to be distortion of the national flag?; can a song be composed in a respectful manner with the words of the national song, ‘Vande Maa Taram’ or the national anthem?; can there be a flag with the same colours as the national flag, but having other symbols in place of the Ashoka Chakra at the centre?; and can a citizen be prohibited from using the national symbol/anthem/song for artistic expression in a respectful manner?
He sought the order quashed and a directive to grant certification for the film.
Source:- The Hindu Tuesday, May 26, 2009
http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/26/stories/2009052656241300.htm
For any query:- legalbuddy@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment