The Supreme Court today stayed the West Bengal government’s ban on the screening of the film The Kerala Story, stating that the “prohibition is not tenable” and statutory provisions cannot be used to “put a premium on public intolerance”.
However, the court orally remarked that “as much as we protect free speech, you cannot vilify a community”, according to a Live Law report. It agreed to watch the film and lay down guidelines to “define a doctrine” about what can be “permitted” as petitioners said it could lead to violence, hate and discrimination against a community.
