Kolkata: A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed on Tuesday at the Calcutta High Court, seeking the court’s intervention in ensuring a smooth and peaceful screening of the Vivek Agnihotri-directed ‘The Bengal Files’ in cinema halls and multiplexes in West Bengal.
At present, there is an unofficial ban on the screening of ‘The Bengal Files’ in West Bengal, where the cinema halls and multiplex owners have denied providing screening slots for the film, reportedly following pressures from a particular political outfit.
On Tuesday, an individual, Sayan Kangsabani, who is a resident of Nadia district in West Bengal, approached the Calcutta High Court with a PIL questioning why a particular film, which has received clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), should face such screening hurdles in a particular state.
The petitioner also argued that the freedom to watch any CBFC-certified movie freely and without hurdles is the fundamental right of every Indian citizen in every Indian state, and denying that right by any means is a breach of the fundamental right of the citizen.
The petitioner also said that when ‘The Bengal Files’ was being released freely in other states across the country, there was no reason why the film could not have been screened in West Bengal.
The PIL has been admitted, and the matter is expected to come up for hearing this week only.
Earlier this month, Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha dismissed a petition filed against the screening of ‘The Bengal Files’ because the petitioner concerned could not back up his claims behind his petition with substantiated information and supporting documents.
The petition was filed by Santanu Mukherjee, grandson of freedom fighter Gopal Mukherjee alias Gopal Patha, who was portrayed in the film.
Justice Sinha also clearly observed that such petitions did not come under the jurisdiction of her court and the petitioner should approach the appropriate forum in the matter.
‘The Bengal Files’ is perceived to be the third part of the “Files” trilogy, the first being ‘The Tashkent Files’ in 2019 and the second being the much-controversial ‘The Kashmir Files’ in 2022.
Previously, the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government had been accused of issuing gag orders against other feature films on allegedly “flimsy” grounds, like that of the film ‘The Kerala Story’ directed by Sudipto Sen.
(IANS)
