'Final warning, Padmaavat should not be released', say protesters after Supreme Court order

Members of the Rajput community have refused to accept the decision of the Supreme Court allowing the screening of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat.

"We do not accept the decison of Supreme Court on Padmaavat. Our protest will continue," said Vikramaditya Singh, state president of Sarv Rajput Kshatriya Mahasabha in Raipur.

"Members of the Rajput community have submitted a memorandum to Chhattisgarh Home Minister Ramsewak Paikra demanding ban on Padmaavat in the state. Cinema halls screening the film would be burnt down. No changes hereafter are acceptable. We want a complete ban. This is our final warning," he added.

The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the decks for the all-India release of controversial movie 'Padmaavat' on January 25 and stayed notifications and orders issued by Rajasthan and Gujarat prohibiting exhibition of the film in their states.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also restrained any other state from issuing such notifications and orders prohibiting exhibition of the movie.

"We direct that there shall be a stay of operation on the notification and orders issued and we also restrain other states from issuing such notifications or orders in this matter," the bench said in its interim order.

Senior advocates Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi, representing Viacom 18 and other producers of the movie, told the bench that states have no power to issue such notifications banning exhibition of a film when the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has given a certificate of release.

Governments of Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan had declared that they will not allow screening of the movie, which stars Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in lead roles.

The producers submitted before the Supreme Court that the movie has undergone changes including in its title as suggested by the CBFC.

Asserting that the film has been cleared by the CBFC, the plea has said that the states cannot impose a blanket ban on a film and its screening can be suspended in a particular area or areas on account of law and order problem, not across the states.

The film is based on the saga of the historic battle of 13th century between Maharaja Ratan Singh and his army of Mewar and Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi.

The set of the movie was vandalised twice - in Jaipur and Kolhapur, while its director Sanjay Leela Bhansali was roughed up by members of the Karni Sena last year.

(With PTI inputs)