The Madhya Pradesh High Court has rejected a petition filed by Shah Bano Begum’s daughter, Siddiqua Begum Khan, seeking to restrain the release of Haq, a film inspired by the landmark Shah Bano case. The Court ruled that reputational and privacy rights do not survive after death.
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INDORE: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has dismissed a plea seeking to stop the release of Haq, an upcoming film said to be inspired by the landmark Shah Bano case. The petition, filed by Shah Bano Begum’s daughter Siddiqua Begum Khan, claimed that the movie distorted events from her mother’s life and used her story without the family’s consent.
Justice Pranay Verma of the Indore Bench rejected these arguments in a judgment dated November 4, holding that a person’s right to privacy and reputation ends with their death and cannot be inherited by their heirs.
“Privacy or reputation earned by a person during his or her lifetime extinguishes with his or her death. It cannot be inherited like a movable or immovable property,”
the Court said.
Siddiqua Begum Khan had argued that Haq commercially exploits her late mother’s personality and reputation. She contended that since the film draws from the personal events of Shah Bano’s life, the filmmakers were required to take permission from her family before making it.
However, the Court agreed with the filmmakers’ stand that Haq is not a biographical film, but a fictionalized story inspired by the Supreme Court’s 1985 ruling in favor of granting maintenance to divorced Muslim women. The judgment noted that the film carries a disclaimer clarifying that it is a dramatized work of fiction.
“Since the disclaimer itself states that the same is dramatization and is fictional and an adaptation of a book and is inspired by a judgment of the Apex Court, it cannot be said that the contents of the film are fabricated,”
the Court observed.
The bench added that the story of Shah Bano, having been part of public court records, cannot be treated as private anymore.
“Once a matter becomes a matter of public record, the right of privacy no longer subsists and it becomes a legitimate subject for comment by the Press and Media,”
the Court said.
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Justice Verma also noted that the petitioner had an alternative legal remedy, approaching the Central Government to revoke or suspend the censor certificate granted by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), but chose instead to file a writ petition directly before the High Court.
The Court further pointed out that Siddiqua Begum filed her petition just days before the movie’s release, even though she could have acted earlier.
“Her conduct is not that of a vigilant litigant,”
the judge remarked.
With the petition dismissed, Haq, starring Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam, is now set to hit theatres nationwide on November 7. The film is described as a fictionalized adaptation inspired by the Shah Bano judgment, which remains one of the most significant legal decisions in India’s debate on Muslim personal law and women’s rights.
Appearance:
Shah Bano’s daughter: Advocate Tousif Warsi
The Union of India: Deputy Solicitor General of India Romesh Dave
Insomnia Films (a producer): Advocates HY Mehta, Chinmay Mehta
Junglee Pictures: Senior Advocate Ajay Bagadia and Advocate Ritik Gupta
Case Title:
Ms. Siddiqua Begum Khan v. Union of India & Others
WRIT PETITION No. 42708 of 2025
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