No ban on Jagannath movie, artists must enjoy creative liberty, says Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of India rejected a plea to ban an animated film about Lord Jagannath, asserting that artists must have creative liberty. The bench emphasized that courts should not interfere with artistic depictions of mythology, noting that such censorship could set a dangerous precedent.
Why it matters
This ruling reinforces the legal protection of creative expression in India against religious-based censorship attempts.
NEW DELHI: Rejecting a plea seeking a ban on release of an animated film on Mahaprabhu Jagannath, Supreme Court on Wednesday said artists must enjoy the liberty of creative expression, with courts not getting in the way of art and creativity.As Jagannath temple committee strongly opposed the release of the animation film, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan said that if depiction of gods and goddesses is prevented, then movies on the Ramayana and Mahabharata would not be made and screened at all. It stressed that people ought to be tolerant of depiction of gods and goddesses."If this is the kind of sensibility, sensitivity...we will pass an order that in respect of Hindu God, Goddess or Mythology, let there be no art form in India! We have Kabir's Ramayana, Valmiki Ramayana, Skanda Ramayana, etc. We have Ramayana in every State.
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