HC refuses to stay release of movie on Malegaon blast, calls it work of fiction
Mumbai, Nov 14: The Bombay High Court on Thursday refused to stay the release of the movie ‘Match Fixing - The Nation at Stake’, based on the 2008 Malegaon blast, noting that it was a work of fiction.
A division bench of Justices B P Colabawalla and Somasekhar Sunderesan dismissed a petition filed by Lt Col Prasad Purohit, an accused in the case, seeking a stay on the film claiming that it would impact and influence the trial. Purohit’s lawyer said the movie projects “saffron terror”.
Purohit claimed that the movie, scheduled for release on November 15, tarnished his reputation.
The movie’s producer told the court it was a work of fiction based on a book already available in the market.
The producer also submitted the disclaimer that would be exhibited at the beginning of the movie which states that the film is a work of fiction and bears no resemblance to any person dead or alive.
After briefly hearing the arguments, the bench suggested certain minor changes to the disclaimer which the producer accepted.
“We do not think that the apprehension of the petitioner is well founded. The movie is based on fiction and hence there can be no apprehension that the trial, which is at the stage of final arguments, would get affected,” the court said.
“Entire apprehension of petitioner is wholly misconceived. Petition is dismissed,” it added.
The court also asked Purohit if he thinks judges in India get influenced by such movies.
“Are you really saying that a judge of the Indian judiciary is going to watch a movie and get influenced and forget evidence? When the book is not banned why should the film be banned? So the judge won’t get influenced by the book,” HC said.
Advocate Harish Pandya, appearing for Purohit, then sought the court to stay the release of the movie at least till after the Maharashtra assembly elections, scheduled to be held on November 20.
“Saffron terror is projected in the movie,” Pandya said.
The court, however, questioned what the movie had to do with the elections.
“No chance. We are not going to hold film producers at ransom only because of elections. What have elections got to do with this? The book is out since years,” HC said.
Meanwhile, another petition filed by one Nadim Khan, also against the movie on the grounds that it hurts the sentiments of Muslims, was withdrawn on Thursday.
Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town in north Maharashtra about 200 km from Mumbai, on September 29, 2008.
Purohit, former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and five others are on trial under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Indian Penal Code (IPC) for their alleged involvement in the blast conspiracy.
The case was initially probed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) before being transferred to the National Investigation Agency in 2011.
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
