The Gujarat High Court on Thursday ordered an interim stay on the release of the movie “Maharaj”, Bar & Bench has reported.
The movie, starring Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan, was set to stream on Netflix from June 14. It is based on the colonial era Maharaj libel case of 1862.
“Considered the submissions. Issue notice to the respondents, returnable on 18.06.2024. Ad-interim relief is granted in terms of paragraph 11(C), till the next date of hearing,” the court said. The High Court has scheduled the matter for further hearing on June 18.
The order was passed on a plea filed on behalf of devotees of Lord Krishna and followers of the Pustimarg sect. It was argued that the movie “Maharaj,” based on the Libel Case of 1862, could disrupt public order and incite violence against the sect and the Hindu religion.
The petitioners highlighted that the 1862 case, decided by English judges of the Supreme Court of Bombay, contained severely blasphemous remarks against Hinduism, Lord Krishna and devotional songs and hymns. They further contended that the movie’s release was being done secretively with no trailer or promotional events, to conceal its storyline.
The petitioners said that releasing the movie would cause irreparable harm to their religious sentiments and despite urgently appealing to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to block the film’s release, they received no response.
