Gujarat High Court approves "Maharaj"'s Netflix release.
claims that feelings are not harmed. The petitioners' main complaint, according to Justice Sangeeta K. Vishen, was that the movie disparages, denigrates, and degrades a community without any authority.
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court on Friday overturned a temporary injunction preventing the streaming behemoth Netflix from releasing the movie "Maharaj," ruling that the movie was based on the circumstances leading up to the 1862 Maharaj Libel Case and was not intended to offend any particular group.
After seeing the film, Justice Sangeeta K. Vishen, who had banned the movie's release on June 13, decided to allow Netflix to stream it on Friday.
"This court concludes, prima facie, that the movie Maharaj is not intended to offend the Pushtimargi community and is based on the facts that gave rise to the libel lawsuit. The Central Board for Film Certification had certified the movie Certification, an expert body after considering the relevant guidelines… The interim relief granted on June 13 has been vacated,” the court said.
The movie, which was initially scheduled for release on June 14th, was postponed after a group of businesses petitioned the high court, claiming that it might hurt the religious sensitivities of the Vaishnavite community and hence be prohibited from being streamed on Netflix.
The 2013 book by Gujarati author Saurabh Shah about the historic 1862 libel case brought by prominent Vaishnavite leader Jadunathji against social reformer Karsandas Mulji, who had written about sexual exploitation by the all-powerful Maharaj, is the basis for the movie Maharaj.
Mulji's libel action, which eventually became known as the Maharaj Libel action, began when he exposed the exploitative practice in his journal The Satyaprakash.
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