SC Asks West Bengal - Why Should 'The Kerala Story' Be Banned?

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to West Bengal and Tamil Nadu government on the plea against the ban on 'The Kerala Story'.

CJI orally remarked that the movie was being screened in rest of the country and there was no reason for it to be banned in a state.

Senior advocate Harish Salve mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha. Salve said the petition challenges the ban by the West Bengal government and the "de-facto" ban in Tamil Nadu.

The bench said it had on Tuesday posted for May 15 a separate plea against the Kerala High Court order refusing to stay the release of the movie and the fresh plea would also be heard on that day. However, the bench agreed to list the plea for hearing on May 12 after Salve said, "We are losing money everyday."

'The Kerala Story' starring Adah Sharma was released in cinemas on May 5. The movie depicts the harrowing experiences of three women who are sold as sex slaves to the Islamic State in Afghanistan. Produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah and directed by Sudipto Sen, the film has elicited strong reactions from different quarters, with some calling for its ban. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has denounced the movie as propaganda by the RSS.

The film is based on the NIA's investigation into the conversion of Nimisha and Sonia Sebastin, as well as the case filed against 24 people who left Kerala to join the Islamic State in Afghanistan. However, controversy erupted when the film claimed that 32,000 girls from Kerala were forcibly converted and sold to the Islamic State.

Due to the controversy, the West Bengal government has banned the movie in the state. However, Shah has stated that he will pursue legal remedies to challenge the ban on his film. "If the state government refuses to listen to us, we will explore legal options. However, our actions will be based on legal advice," Shah told news agency ANI.

The lead roles in 'The Kerala Story' are played by Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, and Sonia Balani.