"Why should Bengal ban ’The Kerala Story’?" Supreme Court issues notice

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, May 12, 2023: The Supreme Court today sought to know the rationale behind ’The Kerala Story’ movie being banned in West Bengal. "Why should West Bengal ban the movie? It is running across the country," the court observed and issued notices to Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

 

Tamil Nadu government has not banned the movie but theatres owners have decided not to screen it over law and order concerns.

West Bengal was the first state to ban ’The Kerala Story’, saying is it "likely to cause a breach of peace". In a notification on Monday, the government said it has prohibited the movie’s screening to avoid "any incident of hatred or violence to maintain law and order in the state."

The makers of the movie challenged the Bengal ban in the Supreme Court, citing they were losing money every day.

While the movie, claiming 32,000 women from Kerala had joined ISIS, faced obstacles in Opposition-ruled states, it received tax reliefs in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

’The Kerala Story’, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Shah, depicts how a group of women were forced to convert to Islam and recruited by the ISIS terror group.

The movie has stirred a political storm with Opposition parties alleging that 32,000 women joining ISIS is an exaggerated figure.