SC refuses to hear plea against release of ‘Udta Punjab’

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to hear a plea filed by Punjab-based NGO to put a stay on release of the film ‘Udta Punjab’ and directed it to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court where the concerned petition is pending.

The apex court after being informed that a similar matter is being heard by the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the petitioners to wait for the verdict.

A vacation bench of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and L. Nageswara Rao said drugs addiction is not limited to just Punjab, but other parts of the country including the north-east. The apex court asked the NGO as to how it was affected by the film when neither the censor board nor the Punjab Government appealed against the Bombay High Court’s order.

The NGO named Human Rights Awareness Association sought an urgent hearing, but the apex court said that it would hear the matter only after the petition was cleared by the court registry.

The Bombay High Court had on June 13 cleared the release of ‘ Udta Punjab’, whose makers were locked in a dispute with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

The CBFC yesterday issued a fresh release certificate to ‘ Udta Punjab’ after the Bombay High Court passed the film with just one cut and three disclaimers.

The Censor Board gave an ‘A’ certificate to the film citing that the movie is suitable for exhibition, but only for adults.

The film was scheduled for release across 8,000 screens countrywide on Friday. (ANI)