New Delhi, Dec 03, TEN Network | The Supreme Court has quashed all criminal cases against Bollywood actor Salman Khan in relation to the movie “Loveyatri – a journey of love”.
In an order passed last week, the Court ruled that all FIRs/ criminal complaints registered against Khan in connection with the film are quashed.
Salman Khan, who is also the producer of the movie, approached the Supreme Court after cases were registered against him in Gujarat and Bihar for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
The film which was initially titled ‘Loveratri’ had drawn the ire of right-wing groups since the name was seen as a wordplay on the Hindu festival of Navratri. The name of the film was subsequently changed to Loveyatri.
In September last year, the Supreme Court granted interim relief to Salman Khan and ordered that no coercive action shall be taken against him in connection with any case related to the film. The court had noted in its order that the film had been certified for exhibition by the Central Board of Film Certification, an argument which Khan had relied upon to claim that criminal law should not be set in motion because of individual perception relating to the name of a movie.
When the matter came up for hearing last week, a bench of justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari noted that the film has been released and is being displayed across the country. It, therefore, proceeded to quash the criminal cases instituted against Khan in connection with the film.
“All FIRs/criminal complaint(s) registered/filed against the petitioner in connection with the subject film shall be deemed to have been quashed in terms of this order,” the court said.
The film Loveyatri was produced by Salman Khan Films, a production company run by actor. The film was released on October 5 last year. (HT)
