Kerala HC stays single judge order putting on hold release of 'The Kerala Story 2' film
Kochi (PTI): The Kerala High Court on Friday stayed for two weeks its single judge's interim order putting on hold for 15 days the release of 'The Kerala Story 2-Goes Beyond' film.
A bench of justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and P V Balakrishnan passed the order on the appeal moved by the film's producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah late Thursday night, hours after the movie's release was stayed.
The bench had reserved order in the appeal on Thursday night.
The detailed order is awaited.
Shah in his appeal had claimed that the film does not harm or denigrate the state of Kerala or any religious community.
"The film only portrays a social evil," his lawyers had told the court.
Shah had also contended that if the film's release was put on hold, it would "financially finish" the producers as the movie is set to be screened in 1,500 theatres in India and over 300 abroad on February 27.
The single judge had stayed the release of the film on the ground that prima facie there was a manifest non-application of mind to the requirement of law by the censor board, CBFC.
The judge also said that "the possibility of communal disharmony or denigration of a community also being prima facie involved in the movie", its release without scrutiny by the higher authorities would be legally improper.
The court had further said that the content of the film's teaser has "a prima facie potential to distort public perception and disturb communal harmony".
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NABARD projects priority sector credit potential of Rs 4.99 lakh cr for K'taka in FY 2026-27
Bengaluru (PTI): NABARD on Thursday projected a priority sector credit potential of Rs 4.99 lakh crore for Karnataka for the financial year 2026-27, registering a 12 per cent increase over the projections made for the previous fiscal.
Releasing its "State Focus Paper for FY 2026-27" at the State Credit Seminar in Bengaluru, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development assessed the exploitable credit potential under priority sectors in the State at Rs 4,99,530.93 crore for the coming financial year.
The projections are aimed at guiding banks and financial institutions in formulating their Annual Credit Plans.
According to NABARD, agriculture and allied sectors account for 45 per cent of the total projected credit potential. Farm credit alone includes Rs 1,90,397.40 crore towards crop loans for agriculture and allied activities and Rs 47,166.71 crore towards term loans. Credit potential for ancillary activities has been estimated at Rs 28,876.81 crore.
The MSME sector has been assigned a credit potential of Rs 2,14,501 crore, constituting 42 per cent of the overall projection. Other priority sector segments include housing at Rs 28,119.01 crore, education at Rs 5,650.12 crore, export credit at Rs 5,983 crore, social infrastructure at Rs 1,936.91 crore and renewable energy at Rs 1,802.14 crore.
Agri infrastructure has been projected at Rs 81,485 crore.
NABARD stated that the enhanced projection reflects the growing credit absorption capacity across sectors and the need to strengthen rural infrastructure, agriculture resilience and enterprise development in the State.
The bank noted that the State Focus Paper is prepared through a consultative process involving banks, government departments and other stakeholders, and serves as a base document for district-level credit planning.
It added that the projections are aligned with sectoral priorities, infrastructure requirements and policy support needed to sustain inclusive and balanced growth across Karnataka.
