Mersal controversy: Freedom of expression is for all, says Madras HC

A petition was filed in the Madras High Court for a direction to revoke the censor certificate issued for Vijay’s Tamil film Mersal, apart from an interim stay on the public exhibition of the movie

The Madras High Court on Friday stated that Vijay-starrer 'Mersal' is only a film and not real life, saying freedom of expression is for all.

The court slammed the petitioner saying, "Don't like the film don't watch it. Everyone has the freedom of expression."

The court was hearing the petition which sought for a direction to revoke the censor certificate issued for Vijay's Tamil film Mersal, apart from an interim stay on the public exhibition of the movie which was released on October 18.

The petitioner, advocate A Ashvathaman, had alleged that Mersal was filled with "wrong propaganda about India and fake dialogues and scenes which obviously leads to a misconception about the new taxation system of India and the Goods and Service Tax Act, 2017 to the viewers."

"No picture shall be certified for the public exhibition which will lower the moral standards of those who see it and the prevailing laws shall not be so ridiculed as to create sympathy for violation of such laws," he said.

The controversy erupted after the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit objected to references about the GST in the movie.

The party said that there were "untruths" regarding the GST that have been shown in the film. The party had also said that the dialogues on the central taxation should be deleted.

OneIndia News