SC disposes of petitions concerning The Kerala Story, leaves legal questions open

The Supreme Court concluded proceedings on multiple petitions associated with the 2023 film The Kerala Story on Friday, while preserving the legal questions surrounding film certification by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Chief Justice of India Surya Kant led the bench that dismissed dozens of cases, either because they were filed during the COVID-19 period or became irrelevant over time.

The bench, consisting of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, dismissed two petitions seeking to cancel the CBFC's certification of The Kerala Story, stating that they were "infructuous." The third petition, filed by the film's producers, Sunshine Pictures Pvt Ltd and Vipul Amritlal Shah, was withdrawn. The court had previously stayed a ban imposed by the West Bengal government on the film in May 2023.

Advocate Nizam Pasha, representing petitioners Qurban Ali and B R Aravindakshan in the other cases, argued that the issues remained relevant despite the film's release. However, the bench noted that the film was already released and left the question of law open, suggesting that it could be revisited when another controversial movie is released.

Pasha urged the court to establish guidelines for films that promote hate speech, to which the CJI agreed to file a comprehensive writ petition seeking such guidelines. The film, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amritlal Shah, sparked significant political and social controversy following its release, alleging that nearly 32,000 women from Kerala had been coerced into converting to Islam and joining ISIS.