The Delhi High Court has issued summons in a suit filed against Bollywood filmmaker Hansal Mehta and others seeking to prevent the release of their film 'Faraaz.'
The film is inspired by the terrorist attack that occurred on July 1, 2016 in Holey Artisan, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The suit was filed by a family who lost two daughters in the attack. They are concerned that their daughters will be portrayed negatively, so they have requested a permanent and mandatory injunction in their favour. The film was accused of violating their rights to privacy and fair trial under Articles 14 and 21 of the Indian Constitution.
Justice Asha Menon served notice on both the suit and the application for interim relief.
The court ordered, “The summons shall indicate that the written statement(s) to the suit and reply(ies) to the application(s) be filed by the defendant(s) within one week from the date of receipt of the summons. The defendant(s) shall also file the affidavit of admission/denial of the document(s) filed by the plaintiff(s), failing which the written statement(s) shall not be taken on record.”
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Jayant K Mehta argued that the plaintiffs' only request for interim relief is a preview of the film to ensure that their daughters are not depicted in a negative light.
The court further added, “The plaintiffs are at liberty to file replication(s) to the written statement(s) and rejoinder(s) to the reply(ies) filed by the defendant(s) before the next date of hearing following the filing of the written statement(s)/reply(ies).”
The matter will now be heard on October 28.
CASE - RUBA AHMED & ANR. v. HANSAL MEHTA & ORS.
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