Court says it has jurisdiction to hear suit against Desh Bhakt Nathuram Godse film

MUMBAI: A Pune civil court today ruled that it had jurisdiction to hear a suit seeking a ban on Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha's film ' Desh Bhakt Nathuram Godse', which is slated for release in January.

The ruling was delivered by Civil Judge S S Nair after advocate Wajid Khan for the plaintiff Hemant Patil submitted case laws to show that the civil court had the jurisdiction to hear the suit.

The suit alleged that Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha general secretary Munna Kumar Sharma had said in a section of media that, "The film would show that Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, was a patriot, while Gandhi was anti-Hindu".

According to the suit, the film would be released on the same day when Godse had gunned down Mahatma Gandhi in 1948.

Since the film has the potential to "incite people on communal lines", the petition prayed for a ban on its release.

In the suit, activist Hemant Patil prayed that the film's release should be stopped until the producer satisfied the court that it would not cause any communal flare up.

The suit would come up for hearing in due course, advocate Khan said.