'Kaala' release: Duty of cops to provide security, says Karnataka HC

Karnataka has been lifted with the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directing the state government to take steps and measures for peaceful screening of the movie, slated to be released on June 7.
'Kaala' release: Duty of cops to provide security, says Karnataka HC

BENGALURU: The uncertainty over release of the Tamil movie 'Kaala', starring Rajinikanth, in Karnataka has been lifted with the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directing the state government to take steps and measures for peaceful screening of the movie, slated to be released on June 7.

Justice G Narendar passed an interim order to this effect after Additional Advocate General A G Shivanna made a categorical statement before the court that there is no decision to impose a ban on the movie yet and that the state is ready to provide security to exhibitors of the movie if the petitioners furnish details along with the place of movie screenings and timings.

"If such information is furnished, it is the bounden duty of the Chief Secretary, AG and IGP and Bengaluru City Police Commissioner to initiate steps and measures to prevent any inconvenience to the movie goers and exhibition of the movie", the court ordered while issuing notice to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).  

Taking note of the submissions made by Shivanna and senior counsel Dhyan Chinnappa, representing the petitioners, the court felt that the interim relief could be moulded and granted by permitting the petitioners to furnish the details with regard to the places of exhibition of the film and other information in their possession with regard to the organisation of persons who are likely to prevent exhibition of the movie.
Meanwhile, the counsel for Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) submitted that neither the protesters or exhibitors are under their control.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Chennai-based Wunderbar Films Pvt Ltd, actor Dhanush K and Aishwarya, son-in-law and daughter of Rajinikanth, seeking protection for release of the movie as some pro-Kannada organisations and KFCC had submitted representation to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to ban the movie over Rajini's views on the Cauvery verdict of the Supreme Court.

During the hearing, senior counsel Dhyan Chinnappa argued that the state is prohibited from banning movie in the light of several verdicts of the Supreme Court which has laid down the law that once a motion picture is cleared for exhibition by the CBFC, the state does not have any authority nor any power to ban the exhibition of such a movie.

Additional Advocate General A G Shivanna admitted that there is no decision yet by the state government to ban exhibition of the film. On representation submitted by the petitioners seeking protection for release of movie, he contended that providing protection is vague and ambiguous. The state will definitely marshal its force to discharge its duty of upholding law and order if the details of the exhibitors are furnished, he argued.

Police Seek details of theatres
Following the High Court’s order on Tuesday, the city police have sought information from distributors about the list of theatres where the film will be screened. City Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar said that appropriate security arrangements will be made at theatres which screen the movie. “Once we get the list of theatres, we will decide how many policemen have to be deployed where, as some areas are sensitive and some others are not,” he said.

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