SC to hear on Friday plea against de facto ban on screening of Kamal Haasan-starrer 'Thug Life' in Karnataka

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday decided to hear on Friday a plea questioning de facto ban on the screening of the CBFC certified Kamal Haasan-starrer film Thug Life in Karnataka, allegedly effected through "threats of violence, intimidation, and extra-constitutional directives by non-state actors".

The PIL by M Mahesh Reddy from Bengaluru was mentioned through advocate A Valan before a bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan.

The bench initially asked why the petitioner did not approach the Karnataka High Court.

The counsel, however, said the high court has in a separate matter sought an apology from the actor.

The court then agreed to consider the matter on Friday, according to the counsel.

The plea sought a declaration that the ban on the movie was illegal, unconstitutional, and void ab initio, being allegedly violative of Articles 14, 19(1)(a), 19(1)(g) and 21 of the Constitution.

The petition under Article 32 of the Constitution claimed a duly CBFC-certified Tamil feature film, Thug Life, starring Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan actor Kamal Haasan and directed by Padma Shri Mani Ratnam, slated for nationwide release on June 5, 2025, faced an "unconstitutional extra-judicial ban" in Karnataka.

"This ban stems not from any lawful process, but from a deliberate campaign of terror, including explicit threats of arson against cinema halls, incitement to large-scale communal violence targeting linguistic minorities, and a chilling call for a repeat of past anti-Tamil riots," it contended.

"This serious situation occurred within a disturbing societal context where chauvinistic elements have targeted linguistic minorities such as Hindi speakers in Bengaluru with impunity, fostering a climate of fear that now directly threatens constitutional order over this film," it alleged.

"Even as Victory Cinema, a movie theatre in Bengaluru announced its intent to screen Thug Life, forces of intimidation struck openly. T A Narayana Gowda of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) publicly threatened to set theaters on fire, while social media was used for inciting a violent revival of the 1991 anti-Tamil riots. Emboldened by the State's inexplicable passivity – itself a symptom of the breakdown in law and order – KRV members aggressively attempted a siege of Victory Cinema," the petitioner alleged.

"The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce then buckled under this pressure, publicly admitting to imposing a ban due to a clear sign of the collapse of lawful authority and a testament to the prevailing lawlessness. When the film's producer, Raaj Kamal Films International sought protection from the Karnataka High Court, the proceedings, distressingly, appeared to prioritise appeasement," the petitioner claimed.

The plea sought a direction for the safe, secure, and unimpeded exhibition of the Tamil feature film in all cinema theatres and multiplexes, which are willing to screen it, across the State of Karnataka.

Besides, it sought a direction to the state authorities to take all necessary steps to prevent any "recurrence of such intimidation" for this or any other lawfully certified film.

The petitioner also sought criminal prosecution against all individuals and office bearers of organisations who have issued threats of violence, arson, or incited communal hatred or violence in connection with the release of the film Thug Life, and to submit a status report to this court on action taken within a time-bound manner.

"What is at stake is more than just a film. It is the sanctity of the Constitution itself, the authority of this court's own longstanding judgments protecting free speech against the heckler's veto, and the very idea of India as a nation governed by laws, not by mob intimidation," it said.

"The de facto ban constituted a gross and blatant violation of the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. This right is not merely for the creators of the film but also for the citizens who wish to view it," the petitioner contended.

"The palpable inaction and effective abdication by the state authorities symptomatic of the systemic failure of law and order, in the face of this escalating crisis, demand no less than this court’s decisive action to pull Karnataka back from the brink of lawlessness and prevent an imminent outbreak of serious violence. This PIL is an appeal to defend the core principles of our Republic," it said.