Congress moves Supreme Court for delayed release of film PM Narendra Modi

GNN | Apr 04, 2019, 5:19 PM IST|

• Congress says the movie was designed to manipulate, influence and impress viewers and voters in the upcoming elections
• Congress alleges blatant disregard for electoral laws

Ahmedabad. A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court calling for the delayed release of the film PM Narendra Modi until after the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The matter was mentioned today by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
The petition is filed by Aman Panwar, a Congress spokesperson and lawyer. Panwar in his petition has alleged that the movie is a “propaganda vehicle being timed to release in coordination with the upcoming elections”.
“The movie was driven by little to no artistic inspiration and was instead designed to manipulate, influence and impress viewers and voters in the upcoming elections.”
Given the fact that the film is scheduled to be released on April 12, and none of the high courts have intervened in similar petitions filed before them, Panwar states that he was left with no choice but to approach the apex court.
Among the grounds for the petition is the fact that all four producers have deep ties to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“In the case of four of the three producers, they were not mere sympathizers or supporters, but actual card carrying official members of the party in power with two of the individuals having held official posts in the party machinery. The fourth producer had been a participant in ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ and had recently signed, through his company Legend Films (and fortuitously the producer of the biopic in question) a MoU with the BJP Government in the state for a reported sum around of Rs177crores.”
Further, it has been stated that Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Prasoon Joshi has been credited as one of the artists who worked on the movie. This fact, the petition contends, influenced the CBFC to give the green signal to the release of PM Narendra Modi.
The Congress party had approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) taking issue with the release of the film on March 25. The ECI had issued notice to the producers of the film. However, on April 3, during the hearing of a similar petition filed in the Bombay High Court, the ECI had stated that it had no objection to the release of the film.
“There has, at no point of time since elections have been held in independent India, such a blatant and brazen disregard of electoral laws and for the intelligence of the general public.”
The film has been described as an advertisement for PM Modi and the BJP before the elections. This, the petition contends, is evident from the fact that the party’s top brass has been promoting the release on social media.
“…the direct association of the upper echelons of the BJP leadership in the stewardship and endorsement of the movie further diminishes the argument that it is an independent work of art produced as the realization of a long-standing vision. Maharashtra Chief Minister released the first poster. BJP President Amit Shah was scheduled to release other similar promotional material.”
It is also contended that each trailer and advertisement of the movie PM Narendra Modi is in direct violation of Rule 7 (3) of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, which states that no advertisement shall be permitted, the objects whereof, are wholly or mainly of a religious or political nature and advertisement must not be directed towards any religious or political end.
Moreover, it contended that the release of the film would be in clear violation of Section 126 (1) of the Representation of the People Act, which states that ‘in the 48 hours that precede polling in a particular area, no one can hold public meetings, display election matter by means of cinematograph, television or other similar apparatus or arrange concerts, theatrical performances and other entertainment that propagates election matter’.
Thus, the petition contends that the film is a complete fraud on the Constitution and is completely antithetical to all democratic norms and the Model Code of Conduct.
On these grounds, a direction to delay the release of the film PM Narendra Modi until the conclusion of the General Elections has been sought. Another direction declaring that advertising and promoting the movie violates the Model Code of Conduct and other electoral laws have also been called for.
The Supreme Court will take up the matter for hearing on Monday.