KATHMANDU: In advance of the movie's planned premiere, the Patan High Court has given an order making it illegal to advertise and promote "Laj Sharanam" on social media and other platforms. A writ petition brought by former minister Mohammad Aftab Alam, who claimed that the movie employed a character that looked like him without his permission, led to the decision.
A division bench of Justices Lal Bahadur Kunwar and Hemant Rawal granted the interim order on Tuesday. According to Arjun Prasad Acharya, the information officer of the High Court, the petition named the Film Development Board as the respondent. Alam argued that the film closely mimicked his facial features, clothing style, physique, hairstyle, mannerisms, and speech, which led him to seek legal intervention to stop its release.
Citations in the petitions have been drawn from the Act of Motion Pictures (Production, Exhibition, and Distribution) 2026 BS, stating that the film scripts have to be referred to and cleared by the Central Film Censorship Committee of the Ministry of Communication in consideration of criteria put forth by the Film Development Board. However, the authorities have not taken a decision as per Section 8 (3) of the Act.
An order was issued by the court prohibiting the respondents from disseminating their films by means of any electronic or social platforms. The order also restrained the broadcast of the aforementioned films, posting, and advertisement of such movies. In accordance with Rule 42(3) of the High Court Rules, 2073, the judgment was also made to require that due notice be given to all parties concerned with the decision.
The suit addresses certain facts about the unauthorized portrayal of living persons in films, along with formalities in the approval process of movies by the government. Until the final conclusion of the matter, the ruling protects the promotion of the film.
The release of "Laj Sharanam" is planned jointly for February 26, to coincide with Shivaratri, despite the impediment of law. JPT Creations, the company, has withheld any official reaction to the ruling or any possible date regarding the release of this film.
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