The Supreme Court bench of Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice J.K. Maheshwari dismissed a petition against the film Why I killed Gandhi after observing that no fundamental right of the petitioner have been violated. The bench granted liberty to the petitioner to approach the High Court after considering that that the petitioner ‘as a citizen’ may have a serious cause of concern.
The said film Why I killed Gandhi is based on the murder of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse and the court trial which ensured thereof. The movie attempts to tarnish the image of Mahatma Gandhi and at the same time glorify Nathuram Godse, the petition said. The film has been produced by Respondent 5 Kalyaani Singh under the banner of Respondent 4 Rights Media International.
The petition said OTT Platform Limelight owned by Respondent 3 put out a trailer on the film on January 22. Upon seeing the 2.20 minute trailer, it is evident that an attempt has been made to blame Mahatma Gandhi for the Partition of India and atrocities against Hindus in Pakistan and thereby justifying the killing of the Mahatma.
Several bits of the trailer seeks to justify the murder of the Father of the Nation by citing genocide of Hindus and the obliteration of Hindu culture in the then newly-created Pakistan.
Though the film was due to be released on January 30, if the release and exhibition of the said movie is not stopped the same would irreparably tarnish the image of the Father of the Nation and would cause public unrest, hatred and disharmony. It is therefore imperative that release, publication or exhibition of Why I Killed Gandhi and all its associate content be stopped with immediate effect, the petition said.
The petitioner is further aggrieved by the fact that the movies are being released and exhibited for public viewing on OTT platforms without any restriction, regulation or censure. The petitioner therefore also seeks effective regulation of the OTT platforms.