The Supreme Court on Tuesday severely lashed out at the Karnataka government and directed it to make sure that the Kamal Haasan Tamil superstar film Thug Life is released immediately in the state. The Supreme Court underlined that the rule of law cannot be overridden by the mobs and vigilantes who should take to the streets.
A bench headed by Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Manmohan also raised a serious concern by saying that it was an “extra-judicial ban on the film due to threats by some groups. The release of Thug Life met opposition from these groups, which apparently Kamal Haasan, who had also co-produced the film, had commented that Kannada was born out of Tamil. The statements elicited a counter-reaction, whereby the film could not be shown in Karnataka immediately.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was under hearing by the court brought by Mahesh Reddy, who wanted the court to direct the authorities to permit the screening of the Mani Ratnam-directed film. It was pointed out by the bench that any movie that is granted a valid Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certificate should not be prevented from being shown without hindrance, and it is the business of the state to see that it is granted.
The comments of the judges were also criticised by the recent remark made by the Karnataka High Court, where they advised Kamal Haasan to apologise for his remark. It is not the business of the High Court to elicit an apology. Had Kamal Haasan made some inconvenient remark, people of Karnataka are enlightened enough to argue (not hound him into an apology), the court observed.
The Supreme Court had allowed the Karnataka government one day to notify it of the measures that were being undertaken in order to permit the release of the film. The Supreme Court had also assigned the case on the issue to itself when it was pending in the Karnataka High Court and listed the matter to be heard on Thursday.
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