CHANDIGARH, Punjab—Announcing the verdict on a petition moved by Patiala resident Parveen Komal seeking lifting of ban on movie ‘Messenger of God’ in Punjab, the divisional bench of Punjab & Haryana High Court today refused to entertain the plea.
Terming the issue of screening the movie in Punjab as ‘public concern’, Justice S.K. Mittal and Justice H.S. Sidhu said that public appeals couldn’t be heard in the High Court. The court argued that an individual doesn’t hold any right to demand for the release of a banned movie. The bench also maintained that the issue was worth considering if the producer of the movie had moved the court.
It may be recalled that Parveen Komal hailing from Patiala moved a petition in the High Court seeking lifting of ban on the movie ‘Messenger of God’ starred by Sirsa cult chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. The petitioner sought lifting of ban on the grounds of no incident of violence been noticed after the release of same movie in other states.
