‘None of its business': Supreme Court pulls up Karnataka high court for Kamal Haasan apology remark

Hindustan Times

5 hours ago

The Supreme Court on Tuesday disapproved of the Karnataka high court's observation asking Kamal Haasan to apologise for his 'Kannada-Tamil' remark, saying it wasn't the court's business to seek an apology. The apex court made the critical remark during a hearing for the release of Haasan's film, Thug Life, in Karnataka.
"It is none of the business of the high court," the court observed.
The Supreme Court came down heavily on the state government over the blocking of the Kamal Haasan film in Karnataka, observing that mobs and vigilantes cannot be allowed to take to the streets.
A bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Manmohan said the rule of law has to be established, and guns cannot be put to people's heads to stop them from watching the movie.
"We can't allow mobs and vigilante groups to take over the streets. The rule of law must prevail. We can't allow this to happen. If somebody has made a statement, counter it with a statement. Somebody has made some writing, counter it with some writing," the bench said, reported Live Law.
Also read: 'You may be Kamal Haasan...': How Karnataka high court admonished actor-politician over Kannada-Tamil remark
Giving one day to the state government to inform it about the release of the movie, the apex court observed that once a film has obtained the Central Board of Film Certification clearance, it has to be released in all states.
"Rule of law demands that any film which has a CBFC certificate must be released, and the State has to ensure its screening. It can't be that, for the fear of burning down the cinemas, the film can't be shown. People may not watch the film. That is a different matter. We are not passing any order that people must watch the film. But the film must be released," Justice Manmohan added.
Kamal Haasan had triggered the row with his remark that Tamil was the source from which Kannada evolved. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) later announced that the film would not be screened in the state unless Haasan apologised.
Earlier this month, the Karnataka high court, hearing a plea seeking the smooth release of the film in the state, admonished Haasan, asking if he had made the statement in his capacity as a historian or a linguist. It also said that the row would have died down had the actor apologised.
"The division of this country is on linguistic lines. A public figure cannot make such a statement... The people of Karnataka only asked for an apology. Now you come here seeking protection," the high court had said.
With inputs from PTI