Delhi High Court terms as 'premature' pleas to shelve film on 2020 Delhi riots

New Delhi: Delhi High Court has said it was "premature" to examine the objections raised against a film purportedly based on the 2020 northeast Delhi riots as its certification was pending consideration before the CBFC.

Regarding the objections raised by petitioners that the trailer sought to project a distorted version of events, Justice Sachin Datta noted that the film's producers had said an appropriate disclaimer would be displayed at the beginning of the official trailer.

"At this stage, when the request for the requisite certification is still pending consideration by the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification), it is premature for this court to examine the objections of the petitioners in respect of the movie," the high court said in its verdict, which was passed on Friday and made available on Saturday.

The high court disposed of four separate petitions, including one filed by student activist Sharjeel Imam, seeking to shelve the release of "2020 Delhi" on various grounds.

It noted the statement made by the counsel for the film's producers that they had applied to the CBFC for certification.

The counsel has said the film -- scheduled for release on February 2, three days before the assembly election in Delhi -- would not be screened for the public till it received certification.

Imam, facing prosecution in a 2020 riots case, claimed the posters and the promotional videos, including the teasers and the trailers, intended to create a false narrative of a larger conspiracy behind the clashes and the events surrounding them.

Communal clashes broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24, 2020, leaving at least 53 people dead and several injured.