Kerala High Court Says State Must Handle Law and Order Issues Over 'The Kerala Story 2' Release

Kochi: The Kerala High Court Division Bench has ruled that any law and order issues arising from the release of the film The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond are the responsibility of the state government to address. The bench clarified that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) issued the certificate after reviewing the film in its entirety, and it is not appropriate for a single bench to question the process based solely on teasers and trailers.

The Division Bench, comprising Justices S. A. Dharmadhikari and P. V. Balakrishnan, stayed the 15-day release halt ordered on Thursday by the single bench headed by Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas.

The court observed, “Once the certificate is issued, there is a prima facie case that the concerned authority has taken into account all the guidelines, including law and order. If there are any law and order issues due to the release of the film, it is the duty of the government to resolve them.”

The film was scheduled for release in theatres on Friday. The Division Bench convened a special sitting Thursday night to consider the petition filed by the producers, questioning whether a single bench could entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) on the matter. However, the court did not comment on the content of the film, which has been criticised for portraying Kerala and the Muslim community in a negative light.

The single bench had previously held that the CBFC had ignored central government guidelines prohibiting content that could incite societal hatred.

Two separate petitions had been filed seeking the cancellation of the film’s certification and the removal of its teaser and trailer. Kannur resident Sridevi Namboothiri alleged that the film’s title and teaser dialogues defame Kerala and incite communal violence, pointing to the line “Ab sahenge nahi… ladenge” (“I will not tolerate it anymore, I will fight”). In another petition, Ernakulam resident Freddie Francis argued that the film links Kerala with terrorism despite the story focusing on people from other states, terming it “marketing of hatred” and claiming that the assertion of the film being based on true events is false.

The petitions were represented by Maitreyi Sachidananda Hegde, K. M. Risla, and Deepika K Sasi for Sridev Namboothiri, and by Srirag Shailan, Farha Aziz, and S. Devananda for Freddie Francis. The producers were represented by Neeraj Kishan Kaul, Elvin Peter, Amit Naik, Madhu Gadodia, Nitesh, Vaibhav, and Jasmeet.