After legal dispute, Kerala High Court has given green signal to Malayalam film hall.
The Kerala High Court has dismissed an appeal challenging the reversal of the A-certificate of Malayalam film Hall. The court reviewed objections regarding religious depictions and the removal of scenes ordered by the CBFC, ultimately upholding an earlier ruling that certain certification cuts were not required.
Kerala High Court has once again approved the Malayalam film Condition As for the release, appeals filed by the Catholic Congress and the central government against its certification were rejected. A division bench upheld the earlier order of a single judge which had canceled the ‘A’ certificate issued by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), bringing relief to the film’s producers.
Although a detailed order is awaited, the court ruled that the previous decision will stand after reviewing the case and watching the film.
The Catholic Congress had moved the court, objecting to the content of the film, alleging that Condition Religious topics and inter-religious relations were misrepresented. The organization claimed that the film contains scenes suggesting forced religious conversion and falsely portrays the Thamarassery Bishop as supporting inter-religious marriage, a position that goes against his publicly stated views.
The group further argued that the film was derogatory and hurt religious sentiments, warning that it could disturb social harmony. It also objected to the depiction of the Bishop’s House, stating that parts of it were filmed from outside without consent.
The controversy escalated earlier this year when the CBFC’s revising committee examined the film and recommended deletion of several scenes. These included scenes of him eating beef biryani and scenes that allegedly tarnished the image of the police.
Shane Nigam in lead role, Condition Originally scheduled to be released on September 12. However, delays in certification led to legal intervention. The CBFC ultimately gave the film an ‘A’ certificate, with six cuts, including the deletion of the beef biryani scene.
After hearing arguments from all sides and watching the film, a single judge bench ruled that four of the six suggested cuts were unnecessary. These included scenes showing a Christian woman dancing wearing a burqa, scenes at a bishop’s residence, some police interrogation scenes and instructions to blur the name of a Christian organization.
The Division Bench is now supporting the earlier decision, Condition A major legal hurdle has been crossed, although further clarity is expected once the detailed court order is issued.