PM Narendra Modi biopic producers move SC against stay on release

The makers of the PM biopic on Friday moved the Supreme Court against a stay imposed by the Election Commission on April 10 on the release of the movie. The EC had stayed the release on the grounds that it would disturb the level playing field between political parties during elections.

The movie release was to coincide with the Lok Sabha polling process which got underway from April 11. The EC has since placed a blanket ban on the release of all biopics while the model code of conduct was in place. The plea by the producers was mentioned before a three-judge bench led by CJI Ranjan Gogoi. Gogoi was sitting alongside Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, said that the bench would hear the plea on Monday.

Technically the EC seems to be on a firm footing as the court had refused to deal with a plea by a Congressman to stay the release of the movie and instead asked the poll panel to address it. Moreover, the EC has since then imposed a blanket stay on release of all biopics. These include one on NTR.


“Any biopic material in the nature of biography, hagiography sub-serving the purposes of any political entity or individual connected to it, which is intended to or has the potential to disturb the level playing field during the elections, should not be displayed in the electronic media including cinematograph during the operation of the model code of conduct,” the commission said. The stay will last as long as the election process is on and hence is in the nature of a temporary ban.

The poll body also said any complaints regarding this would be examined by a panel headed by a retired top court judge. The makers, the Congressman had alleged, were affiliated to the ruling party and sought a stay on its release.