Maulana Arshad Madani, president of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and principal of Darul Uloom Deoband, has approached the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on the release of the upcoming film Udaipur Files, alleging that the movie poses a grave risk to communal harmony and public order in the country.
The petition, expected to be heard on Wednesday, argues that the film—based on the 2022 murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur—contains inflammatory content that may vilify an entire religious community and reignite tensions that had earlier led to violent outbreaks.
According to the plea, the film’s trailer, released on June 26, 2025, contains provocative dialogues and scenes that closely mirror the events that caused communal unrest in 2022. The petitioner contends that the trailer “unabashedly depicts” courtroom proceedings, includes a statement by a sitting Chief Minister expressing support for one party, and explicitly references controversial remarks by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma—remarks that were widely linked to the violence which culminated in Lal’s murder.
“The trailer is replete with imagery and statements designed to portray an entire community in a prejudicial and dangerous light,” the petition states, warning that its release would “severely undermine the fabric of religious harmony in the country.”
Madani has also claimed that the film falsely suggests complicity of religious leaders in the crime, rather than isolating the act to the two individuals convicted for the murder. “This attempt to implicate an entire faith community not only distorts facts but promotes discrimination and hate, in violation of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution,” the plea asserts.
Emphasizing the broader societal implications, the petition states that the film “weaponizes freedom of expression” to erode India’s constitutional values of pluralism, inclusivity, and secularism. It also argues that artistic freedom cannot be permitted to “crush fraternity and uproot the ethical foundations” of the nation.
The case comes amid growing legal and public scrutiny of films with religious and political themes, with courts being increasingly called upon to balance free speech with the need to preserve peace and communal unity.
The Delhi High Court’s ruling will likely set a precedent on the limits of cinematic expression in sensitive communal matters.
