MP HC slated to hear plea against release of Kangana Ranaut-starrer 'Emergency'
Jabalpur (PTI): The Madhya Pradesh High Court is slated to hear a Sikh body's plea on Monday seeking directions to stop the release of actor-politician Kangana Ranaut's upcoming film "Emergency", which is stuck with the Censor Board.
Ranaut, the BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi, portrays former prime minister Indira Gandhi in the film scheduled for release on September 6.
The Jabalpur Sikh Sangat has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the high court against the film, which it claimed was detrimental to the interest of society, the petitioner's counsel, senior advocate NS Ruprah, told PTI on Sunday.
"The petition is listed for hearing before a division bench on September 2," he said.
"The Sangat, in its petition, has sought that the movie should not be released, as it infringes the fundamental rights of the Sikh community," Ruprah said.
On Friday, actor-turned-politician Ranaut said that her film is still stuck with the censor board contrary to rumours that it has been cleared for release.
In a video message posted on X, the actor claimed that she and Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) members had received threats, and she is under pressure not to show the assassination of the former prime minister by her security guards.
Talking to PTI, BJP leader and former state minister Harindrajeet Singh Baboo said, "Kangana Ranaut is now an elected member of Parliament. Members of the Sikh community in her constituency had also voted for her. She should be sensible."
He questioned whether the movie was aimed at dividing the country.
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Dhyan Chand lifetime award to be replaced by Arjuna lifetime
New Delhi, Oct 24: The sports ministry on Thursday announced the discontinuation of the Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement from this year onwards and the introduction of the Arjuna Award Lifetime in its place in a bid to "rationalise" the various sporting honours of the country.
Instituted in 2002, the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award, named after hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand, is given to individuals in disciplines that are part of the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, among others.
In 2023, the award was given to former shuttler Manjusha Kanwar, ex-hockey exponent Vineet Kumar and kabaddi player Kavitha Selvaraj.
"The various schemes for sports awards have been rationalised wherein Arjuna Award (Lifetime) has been introduced in place of Dhyan Chand Award. To recognise the efforts of coaches at grassroots/development level, they are now eligible for the Dronacharya Award," said a ministry statement.
"The Arjuna Award (Lifetime) has been introduced and will be given for life time contribution to sports development.
"Further, to recognize the Khelo India scheme, the Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy will be given to the University for Overall Top Performance in Khelo India University Games," it added.
The last date for applying for the national sports awards for 2024 is November 14.
