IFFI will have to screen S Durga as Kerala high court does not stay its order

The central government's information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry today suffered a setback when a division bench of the Kerala high court did not stay a single judge's order, issued earlier this week, to screen a certified copy of Malayalam film S Durga, previously titled Sexy Durga, at the 48th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

Yesterday, the Centre had filed an appeal before the division bench against the single judge's verdict.

While opposing the order, counsel for the government said including the film in the festival at this stage would create problems for the schedule.

But the division bench failed to stay the order even as it admitted the government's petition.

S Durga, a Malayalam film directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, and Ravi Jadhav's Marathi film Nude were controversially dropped by the I&B ministry from the screening schedule for the Indian Panorama section at IFFI after the festival jury had picked both.