HC declines to entertain PIL against ‘The Kerala Story 2’

The Kerala High Court on Thursday declined to entertain a PIL seeking to change the title of the film ‘The Kerala Story 2-Goes Beyond’ and pulled up the petitioners for casting aspersions on the division bench, which paved the way for the movie’s release.

A bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar VM was severely critical of certain remarks in the public interest litigation by Chandramohanan KC, a retired teacher and social activist, and Mehnaz P Mohammed, a lawyer.

When the matter was taken up, the bench pointed out that petitions related to the movie were pending before a single-judge bench and a division bench and therefore, it would not be appropriate for it to take up the PIL.

Chief Justice Sen said it would be better that the division bench, which is hearing the appeal by the film’s producers, hears the instant matter.

However, when it noted certain remarks in the PIL, filed through advocate Chelson Chembarathy, the bench-headed by the Chief Justice, was displeased and questioned how such comments were included in the petition.

It criticised the petitioners and their advocate for filing such a PIL, following which advocate Chembarathy apologised unconditionally several times.

The bench, thereafter, disposed of the PIL and allowed the petitioners to file a fresh plea after removing the portions which cast an aspersion on the division bench, which paved the way for the movie’s release.

A bench of justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and P V Balakrishnan had on February 27 paved for the film’s release by staying a single judge order of the same day, putting on hold the movie’s screening for 15 days.

The interim order by the division bench had come on an appeal moved by the film’s producer, Vipul Amrutlal Shah.