So much court time wasted on non-issues: CJI on Modi biopic plea

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea that sought to defer the release of a biopic on PM Modi, observing that it was “premature” as Central Board of Film Certification was yet to clear it, and that such issues be left to the Election Commission.

“So much of court time is wasted on non-issues such as these,” Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi told senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who made out a case for the court to intervene, on Tuesday.

Singhvi argued that releasing the movie now will allow it to run for at least 40 days in the middle of the general elections, impacting level playing field.


Free and fair polls, he said, were part of the basic structure in a democracy.

The movie was made by some office-bearers of BJP, and its lead actor Vivek Oberoi is scheduled to campaign for the party during the elections, Singhvi argued.

He represented a short report claiming that the movie had used the anthem of BJP and phrases such as ‘chaiwala’ and ‘chai pe charcha’, and urged the CJI to see the trailer of the movie for himself before taking any call.

Singhvi urged the bench to at least stop it from being viewed by the public at least during the last 48 hours of polling when political parties are not allowed to campaign and the polling day.

The CJI, flanked by Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, refused to interfere.

“The CBFC is yet to certify the movie,” he observed. “It is up to the EC to take a call.”