Kerala HC stays order halting release of ‘The Kerala Story 2’ for two weeks

The Kerala High Court on Friday stayed for two weeks an interim order passed by a single judge that had put on hold the release of the film The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond .

A division bench comprising Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and P V Balakrishnan passed the order while hearing an appeal filed by the film’s producer, Vipul Amrutlal Shah , late on Thursday night. The bench had reserved its decision after hearing the appeal and later granted the interim stay. A detailed order is awaited.

The appeal was moved hours after a single judge of the High Court had stayed the film’s release for 15 days, citing concerns over the certification process. The single judge had observed that there was a prima facie non-application of mind by the Central Board of Film Certification while granting clearance to the film.

The judge had also noted that the teaser of the film appeared to have the potential to distort public perception and disturb communal harmony, adding that the possibility of communal disharmony or denigration of a community could not be ruled out at the preliminary stage. The court held that releasing the film without scrutiny by higher authorities would be legally improper.

In his appeal, Shah contended that the film does not harm or denigrate the state of Kerala or any religious community and merely seeks to portray a social issue. He further submitted that halting the release would cause irreparable financial damage to the producers, as the film was scheduled to be released in around 1,500 theatres across India and more than 300 theatres overseas on February 27.

With the division bench staying the single judge’s order for two weeks, the legal status of the film’s release will remain subject to further directions from the court.