Supreme Court To Hear Kahnaiya Lal Murder Case Accused's Plea Against Release Of 'Udaipur Files' Movie Tomorrow

The Supreme Court today agreed to list tomorrow a petition filed by an accused in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case seeking to stay the release of the controversial movie "Udaipur Files : Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder".

The petition has been filed by one Mohammed Javed, who is facing trial as the eighth accused in the case. He sought a stay of the film's release till the trial in the case is over, contending that the film will prejudicially affect his right to fair trial.

After the petition was mentioned by Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi agreed to list it tomorrow along with another petition filed by the movie's producer challenging the Delhi High Court's order of July 10 which stayed its release.  

Yesterday, Jani Firefox Media Pvt. Ltd, the producer of the film, had mentioned its petition against the Delhi High Court's order."

On July 10, the Delhi High Court stayed the release of the film, allowing the petitioners before it to approach the Central Government in revision against the certification granted by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for the movie. The order was passed in a batch of pleas, including a plea filed by Islamic cleric's body, Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani, which contended that it was communally divisive.

Kanhaiya Lal Teli, an Udaipur-based tailor, was brutally murdered in June 2022, allegedly by Mohammad Riyaz and Mohammad Ghous. The perpetrators later released a video claiming the murder was in retaliation for Kanhaiya Lal allegedly sharing a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma, a former BJP spokesperson, soon after she made controversial comments about the Prophet. The case was investigated by the National Investigation Agency, and offences under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Indian Penal Code have been framed against the accused. The trial is progressing before the Special NIA Court, Jaipur.