New Delhi: Just a day before the controversial film ‘Hamare Baarah’ was scheduled for public screening, the Supreme Court on Thursday stayed its release till Bombay High Court decides a petition against the film for allegedly distorting religious text to bring disrepute and defame Islam.

The HC is examining the validity of the clearance given to the film by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Taking note of the pending case before the HC, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta ordered that the screening of the movie shall remain suspended till the disposal of the petition in HC and requested the court to decide the case expeditiously.

Challenging the Bombay HC’s interim order allowing release of the film, advocate Fauzia Shakil submitted that the film was derogatory of Islamic faith and the trailer itself contained provocative and derogatory statements about the sermons and messages of Surah Al Baqarah and the film should not be allowed to be screened till the court decides the case.

Shakil further submitted that the order passed by HC directing CBFC to form a panel to review the film was an unreasoned one as the petition was against the board’s decision, which is one of the interested parties. “The HC could not have directed the CBFC to constitute a committee because the CBFC was a party interested in the litigation,” she said.

The bench also said that they saw the teaser of the film and observed, “If the teaser is so offensive then what about the whole movie...,” raising questions on how the board cleared the film for public screening.

The high court had restrained the filmmaker from releasing the movie till June 14. A day later, it ordered the CBFC to form a panel of three individuals including at least one member from the Muslim community to view the movie. However, the court later allowed release of the movie after the producers agreed to delete certain dialogues from it.