Padmaavat: Allahabad HC issues contempt notice to CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi

Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday issued a contempt notice to censor board chairman Prasoon Joshi in connection with the release of the film 'Padmaavat' on January 25.

The Lucknow bench of the court granted three weeks' time to Joshi for filing his response to the contempt notice.

It fixed next hearing of the matter in the week commencing February 12.

A bench of Justice Mahendra Dayal passed the order on a petition filed by Kamta Prasad Singhal, who had submitted that he had earlier filed a Public Interest Litigation seeking a ban on the release of the movie because it promoted Sati, which is an offence.

After hearing the PIL, the court had on November 9, 2017 dismissed the petition but, simultaneously, it had permitted the petitioner to move his grievance through a representation to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

Accordingly, he moved the representation before the chairman of the board on November 13, 2017, but Joshi is yet to decide on it, and three weeks time given to him by the high court has expired.

At this, the high court issued contempt notice to Joshi.