New Delhi, 29 July (H.S.): The release of the animated film ‘Mahaprabhu Jagannath’ has been cleared after the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking a stay on its release. A bench headed by Justice B. V. Nagarathna rejected the petition and allowed the film’s release to proceed.

The petition was filed by a temple trust and a devotee, seeking modification of the Supreme Court’s July 17 order, which had permitted the release of the film after the conclusion of Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra in Puri on July 28.

The Supreme Court rejected the petitioners’ contention that portraying Lord Jagannath through an animated film was disrespectful and could hurt the sentiments of devotees. The court observed that if people’s sentiments were affected merely by creative representations, there would not have been art films based on epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

During the hearing, the Supreme Court remarked that petitions were increasingly being filed against art and creativity on the ground that they affected personal sensitivities. The court cautioned that if such petitions continued to be filed, it might be compelled to pass strict orders.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar