Padmaavat row: Supreme Court agrees to hear contempt plea

On the day Padmaavat released in theatres, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea to initiate contempt of court against Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan and members of Karni Sena for the instances of aggravated violence in their states.

Members of Karni Sena had pelted stones at a bus carrying schoolchildren in Gurgaon on Wednesday. The bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said the matter would be looked at when it was mentioned on Thursday.

"We will see," CJI Misra said.

In their petition, Congress supporter Tehseen Poonawala and apex court advocate Vineet Dhanda described the destruction caused to public property, theatre premises and alleged that members of Karni Sena were responsible for pelting stones at the bus carrying schoolchildren.

In their petition, they suggested that the state governments had failed to control the law and order situation that has been flaring up in the run op to the release of the movie. The petition suggested that the lackadaisical approach of the states had given the agitators a sense of free hand to run amok and indulge in violence.

This, the petitioners alleged flouted the January 18 apex court order where the Bench had observed that it was "the duty and obligation of the State to maintain law and order". In the January 18 order, the apex court had observed, its conscience was shocked that several states had "guillotined creative freedom" and stayed notifications and orders issued by several state governments banning the screening of Padmaavat, which is being opposed by some Rajput groups over alleged wrongful portrayal of queen Padmavati.

In the past fortnight, the apex court has stood firm in protecting the creative rights of an individual and their right to freedom of speech and expression by dismissing various calls to ban the movie.