EC submits report to SC on 'PM Modi' biopic, matter posted for Friday

New Delhi, Apr 22: The Election Commission (EC) on Monday submitted its report in a sealed cover before the Supreme Court on Vivek Oberoi starrer 'PM Narendra Modi' biopic. The apex court will hear the matter on Friday. The report has also been given to the producers of the film.

The poll body was asked to watch PM Narendra Modi biopic before taking a call on the fate of the film.

On Wednesday, officials of the EC watched a special screening of biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the directions of the Supreme Court.

A total of seven officials of a committee set up for the purpose were present for the screening of the biopic titled 'PM Narendra Modi'.

A top court bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, asked the EC to watch the Narendra Modi biopic and submit its view to the court by April 22 in a sealed cover.

The decision came days after the makers of Omung Kumar's PM Narendra Modi biopic moved the Supreme Court seeking a decision on the release of the film after Election Commission stalled it till the end of the Lok Sabha elections on May 19.

During the hearing of the case on April 15, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the producers of the film, claimed that the poll panel had not watched the film. It was then that the Supreme Court asked Election Commission to not make a decision purely on the basis of watching a trailer. SC had suggested EC to watch the entire film before taking a final call on the fate of the film.

A day ahead of the official release (April 11) of PM Narendra Modi biopic, Election Commission stalled the release of Vivek Oberoi-starrer. It cited that the film has "the potential to disturb the level playing field during the elections", and therefore, "should not be displayed on electronic media".

However, producer Sandip Ssingh has maintained that it is not a propaganda film. In an interview to an entertainment website, he said that the PM Narendra Modi biopic would not sway voters in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Narendra Modi. "If that is the case, then why can't all the parties stop all the campaigning and just make films and influence the voters?" he questioned.