'The Kerala Story': SC questions West Bengal government on ban
What's the story
The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday sent a notice to the West Bengal government, asking for its rationale behind banning The Kerala Story in the state. The state government announced a ban on its screening on Monday, following which the makers filed a plea with the SC. TKS was released in the theaters on May 5 and re-released internationally on Friday (May 12).
Context
Why does this story matter?
Starring Adah Sharma in the lead role, TKS has been surrounded by controversies since the time its trailer was released last month. Said to be based on the conversion of Hindu Kerala women to Islam who were forced to join ISIS, the film has become a subject of political discussion. Despite the controversies, it managed to get a good start at the box office.
Details
SC issued notice to Mamata Banerjee's government
The double bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narsimha, in its notice to the state government, observed: "Why should West Bengal ban the movie? It is running across the country." The notice was also issued to Tamil Nadu where theater owners decided to not screen the film citing law and order concerns.
Movie ban
WB was the first state to ban 'TKS'
The Mamata Banerjee-led government was the first in the country to put a ban on the movie's release. The state government claimed that TKS is "likely to cause a breach of peace." In the notification issued on Monday, it said that it banned the film to avoid "any incident of hatred or violence to maintain law and order in the state."
Tax-free
Film has been made tax-free in select BJP states
Directed by Sudipto Sen, TKS was declared tax-free in a couple of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states. Shivraj Singh Chouhan's Madhya Pradesh government was the first state to declare it tax-free, followed by the Uttar Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Meanwhile, the TKS team also met the UP CM recently to thank him for declaring the film tax-free.