The Bombay High Court has rejected a plea to stay the release of the film ‘Match Fixing – The Nation at Stake’, which draws inspiration from the 2008 Malegaon blast. The court ruled on Thursday that the movie is a work of fiction and its release is unlikely to influence the ongoing trial related to the blast.
Lt Col Prasad Purohit, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, filed the petition seeking a stay on the film’s release, scheduled for November 15, claiming it would tarnish his reputation and influence the trial by portraying “saffron terror”. The division bench of Justices B P Colabawalla and Somasekhar Sunderesan, however, dismissed these concerns, stating the film’s basis on fictional content derived from a book that is already publicly available.
During the proceedings, the movie’s producer assured the court that the film does not resemble any real persons, living or dead, as clarified in the disclaimer set to be shown at the start of the film. The court suggested minor modifications to the disclaimer, which the producer accepted.
Addressing the petitioner’s concerns about the impact on the judiciary, the court remarked, “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?”
Additionally, advocate Harish Pandya, representing Purohit, requested that the film’s release be postponed until after the Maharashtra assembly elections on November 20 due to its depiction of “saffron terror”. The court swiftly dismissed this request, emphasizing that the electoral process should not hinder the release of a film unrelated to the elections.
Simultaneously, another petition filed against the movie by Nadim Khan, which argued that the film could hurt Muslim sentiments, was withdrawn.
The Malegaon blast in 2008 resulted in six deaths and over 100 injuries. The case, initially investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, was later handed over to the National Investigation Agency in 2011. Purohit, former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, and five others are currently on trial under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Indian Penal Code (IPC) for their alleged involvement in the blast conspiracy.
