HC notice to Centre, CBFC on riots movie

HC SOUGHT THEIR REPLY IN TWO PLEAS — ONE BY SHARJEEL IMAM AND THE OTHER BY VICTIMS AND ACCUSED OF THE 2020 DELHI RIOTS

- Shruti Kakkar

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Thursday issued notice to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the Centre, in pleas seeking directions to CBFC and the ministry of information and broadcasting to defer the release of "Delhi-2020", a movie based on the riots that roiled the national capital in February 2020, till the conclusion of the trial in the larger conspiracy case involving the riots, on the ground that its release on February 2, would prejudice the trial.

A bench of Justice Sachin Datta sought the Centre and CBFC's response in two pleas — one filed by jailed student activist Sharjeel Imam and the other by victims and accused of the riots including Tasleem Ahmed. The court fixed January 31 as the next date of hearing.

The Centre and CBFC were represented by standing counsel Nidhi Raman, while Imam was represented by advocates Warisha Farasat and Ahmad Ibrahim. The victims were represented by advocate Mehmood Pracha.