Kerala High Court considers appeal against order putting on hold release of 'The Kerala Story 2' film

Kochi: A division bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday considered an appeal against its single judge order putting on hold for 15 days the release of 'The Kerala Story 2 - Goes Beyond' film.

In a late evening hearing, a bench of Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and P V Balakrishnan observed that the pleas opposing the film's certification were in the nature of a public interest litigation and questioned how the single judge could hear it.

Hours after the single judge stayed the film's release, the producers moved an appeal and the hearing in that by the division bench began from 8 pm.

The producers claimed that the film does not harm or denigrate the state of Kerala or any religious community.

Appearing for the producers, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul told the court that even the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) found that there was nothing in the film which denigrates the state.

"The film only portrays a social evil," he contended.