SC refuses to hear urgent plea on stay on Nanak Shah Fakir film

The Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Delhi Gurudwara Prabandhak Commitee on Thursday petitioned the Supreme Court to vacate its earlier order for the release of the film, Nanak Shah Fakir. 

Advocate Satyender Singh Gulati, who appeared on behalf of the SGPC, approached the bench led by chief justice Dipak Misra for an urgent hearing of the matter a day before the film's release. The court, however, declared that once the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had cleared a film for release, outsiders cannot have a say on it. 

The bench had agreed to producer Harinder Sikka's demands and directed the states to maintain law and order to allow the smooth release of the film. 

However, the court agreed to hear a plea on Monday. 

According to LiveLaw, the SGPC argued that "the Sikh body is a statutory body and passed a resolution in 2003 that no one was allowed to depict the role of any Sikh Guru or their family members." 

The film's trailer shows no depiction of the Sikh guru, except in the form of light. However, the SGPC maintains that the film contains objectionable content regarding the Sikh guru and his family. 

In April 2015, Sikka had agreed to hold the release of the film pending suggestions from the Akal Takht board. In court, Sikka maintained that the changes were made, and were accepted by the CBFC as well. However, due to objections from certain sections of the Takht, the committee has sought to oppose the release of the film. 

The film's trailer was released by Akshay Kumar, who was also pulled up by trolls on Twitter.