Black Friday: SC vacates stay, adjourns hearing till May 23

New Delhi, May 19 (UNI) The Supreme Court today adjourned till May 23 the hearing of a petition filed by the producers of hindi movie 'Black Friday' allegedly based on 1993 Bombay bomb blasts in which 257 people were killed and 713 injured, challenging the Bombay high court order restraining its exhibition on the grounds that it will prejudice the ongoing trial of mafia don Abu Salem and others.

The petitioner Mid-Day Multimedia Ltd. has filed an appeal against the impugned order of the high court on the grounds that the movie has nothing to do with the life of Abu Salem as claimed by him and all the characters in the movie are fictitious.

The conspiracy leading to the bomb explosions was allegedly hatched to settle scores for the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Dec. 1992 and Mafia don Dawood Ibrahim, Abu Salem and Dubai based Memons are the main conspirators in the case.

A bench comprising Mr Justice B P Singh and Mr Justice R V Raveendran today adjourned the hearing on the request of parties.

The writ petition was filed in the high court by the respondent Mushtaq Moosa Tarani seeking ban on the release of the movie on the grounds that it was based on the life of Abu Salem and would prejudice the on-going trial against him and other accused involved in the case including film star Sanjay Dutt.

The petition was admitted by the apex court which vacated the stay granted by the high court against the release of the film.

The counsel for the petitioner today pleaded before the court that judges should see the movie themselves to decide whether there was anything in the movie which is likely to have any influence on the mind of the trial court or any body else.

UNI AKS/SC RP KN1914