'Mob Can't Decide': Top court slams Thug Life ban in Karnataka

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice in the case concerning the ban on the release of Kamal Haasan’s Tamil film Thug Life in Karnataka, criticising groups that threatened to ban the film's release over controversial remarks allegedly made by the actor. The court said the rule of law cannot be held hostage to mob threats and warned that "groups of hooligans" cannot be allowed to decide what gets screened in theatres.

A bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Manmohan said the rule of law has to be established and guns cannot be put to people’s heads to stop them from watching the movie. The court also pointed out that “groups of hooligans" cannot be allowed to decide what gets screened in theatres.“If someone has made a statement, you counter it with another statement. You cannot threaten to burn down theatres," the bench remarked.

In addition to this, the apex court gave one day’s time to the Karnataka government to apprise it about the release of the movie in the state, saying once a film has got the Central Board of Film Certification clearance, it has to be released in all the states.

Highlighting the controversy regarding the actor’s remarks, the bench said that if Haasan has said anything inconvenient, it cannot be taken as a gospel truth and the enlightened people of Karnataka should have debated and said he was wrong.

The top court was also critical of the Karnataka high court’s recent observations seeking an apology over Haasan’s remark over Kannada language, and said it has no business to seek an apology. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on Thursday.

Notably, Kamal Haasan’s “Thug Life", directed by Mani Ratnam, was released in cinema halls across the country on June 5. The Tamil movie, which reunites Haasan with filmmaker Mani Ratnam after 1987’s “Nayakan", could not be released in Karnataka after the 70-year-old’s comments about Kannada language sparked a major controversy.