SC refuses to interfere with EC order staying release of ‘PM Narendra Modi’ biopic

'PM Narendra Modi' biopic: The Supreme Court had earlier ordered the Election Commission to watch the film and then file its report.

The Supreme Court Friday dismissed a plea seeking the release of ‘PM Narendra Modi’ a biopic on the Prime Minister. The plea challenged an Election Commission decision that had stayed on the release of the film until the last day of polling — May 19.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it was not inclined to entertain the application filed by producers of biopic challenging the EC’s order. “What survives in this now?” the bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, said. “The issue is whether the movie can be exhibited at this time. The Election Commission has taken a decision. We are not inclined to entertain this,” the bench said.

The court had earlier ordered the Election Commission to watch the film and then file its report. In its petition, the producers of the biopic told the Supreme Court that the Election Commission’s order was contrary to the clearance given by the Central Board of Film Certification.

Last week, the EC has told the Supreme Court that ‘PM Narendra Modi’ is not only a biopic, but also has dialogues, symbols, and presentation that “eulogises a public representative”.

“This can be categorised as hagiography,” the EC had said in its opinion submitted to the Supreme COurt, adding that permitting its release will “tilt the balance in favour of a particular party” during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

The six EC officers, in their report to the Commission, had described the biopic as “unabashedly unidimensional” and cited 17 examples from the film to prove how the subject, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acquires a “cult” and “saintly” status in the film.

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