The Punjab government banned Santa Banta Pvt Ltd on Saturday, claiming that the movie portrays the Sikh community in a denigrating and defamatory manner.
The decision was taken after a delegation of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managing Committee (DSGMC), led by its president, Manjit Singh GK, called on deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in Delhi. The delegation said the movie hurt the sentiments of the community.
Sukhbir asked the state chief secretary to impose a ban on the screening of the movie in Punjab. The ban will come into effect immediately, said a government spokesperson.
Last week, the Bombay high court, while hearing petition by a Mumbai Sikh Congress leader, refused to grant an interim stay on film’s release on April 22.
Sikh protesters staged a demonstration on Saturday at the collectorate in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, saying the film has some “ethnic humour parts which will hurt the sentiments of the community”.
Nothing objectionable in Santa Banta film: Censor Board to HC
There is nothing in the movie ‘Santa Banta Pvt Ltd’ which could be construed as objectionable or making fun of the Sikh community, the government and the Censor Board told Delhi High Court today.
The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath during the hearing of a plea by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee which has contended that the movie, to be released on April 22, makes fun of the Sikh community.
The movie producers and director questioned the maintainability of the plea as a public interest litigation and said the petitioner was claiming that the film was objectionable without even seeing it.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain told the court that the censor board has certified the movie after considering all aspects and nothing offensive towards the community was found.
He said under the Cinematograph Act, only the producers can challenge the Board’s order in the appellate tribunal and the petitioner cannot do so in this matter.