The Gujarat High Court has temporarily halted the release of “Maharaj,” the debut film of Junaid Khan, son of Bollywood star Aamir Khan, on Netflix. This decision follows complaints from followers of Pushtimarg, a Vaishnava sect of Hinduism, who claim the film would hurt their religious sentiments.
Justice Sangeeta Vishen, presiding over a single-judge bench, issued the order on Thursday, blocking the film’s scheduled release on Friday. Notices were also sent to the Centre, Netflix, and Yash Raj Films, the producer of the film, with the matter set for further hearing on June 18.
The petition against the film was filed by eight members of the Pushtimarg sect after they read articles suggesting that the movie is based on the infamous Maharaj Libel Case of 1862. The petitioners argue that the film could harm public order and provoke violence against followers of their sect due to its controversial content.
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Representing the petitioners, senior advocate Mihir Joshi argued that the film references scandalous and defamatory language from the British-era court judgment of the 1862 libel case, which maligns the Hindu religion and Lord Krishna. Joshi also pointed out that the film’s release has been unusually secretive, with no trailers or promotional events, raising further suspicion.
The petitioners expressed concerns that the film’s release would cause irreparable damage to their religious sentiments. They had previously approached the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to block the film’s release, but received no response.
The petitioners also claimed that the release of the movie would violate the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules and the self-regulation code of Over the Top (OTT) platforms. A request for a pre-release private screening made in April to Yash Raj Films and Netflix went unanswered, intensifying the petitioners’ concerns.
The 1862 libel case at the heart of the controversy involved a clash between Vaishnavite religious leader and social reformer Karsandas Mulji, who alleged in a Gujarati weekly that the religious leader had improper relations with his female devotees. The petitioners argue that releasing the film on a global OTT platform would make it impossible to mitigate the damage caused by its content.
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