Rajasthan HC wants to watch Padmavat before quashing FIR against Bhansali

The Rajasthan High Court on Friday said it would like to watch Padmavat before quashing an FIR against filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone for stoking enmity among communities.

Hearing a petition filed by Bhansali, seeking the quashing of an FIR lodged against him at Didwana in Merta in March last year, the court posted the matter to January 23. Justice Sandeep Mehta refused to pass any order on the petition before watching the film, and asked the petitioner's counsel to arrange a screening for the court.

The petitioner's counsel, Nishant Bora, argued that after the film was changed to Padmavat from Padmavati, the FIR had become pointless and the film should be allowed to release in the state. "We pleaded to the court to allow us to release the film in Rajasthan," Nishant told reporters outside court premises in Jodhpur.  

"We sought some time from the court in order to take instructions from the petitioner and arrange the screening of the film. Allowing our plea, the court adjourned the hearing till January 23," Bora said.  

The FIR was filed with Didwana police in March, 2017, in which complainants Virendra Singh and Nagpal Singh sought action against Bhansali and two of the lead actors in the film, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh.

The film was first banned by the Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan. Several Rajput organisations later launched protests demanding a nationwide ban on the movie.

The Shri Rajput Karni Sena also demanded changes in the names of the characters days after the CBFC suggested changing the film's title to Padmavat, after Malik Muhammad Jayasi's epic poem of the same name on which it is based.