The Supreme Court dismissed a plea over the film “Ghooskhor Pandat” after filmmaker Neeraj Pandey withdrew the title and promotional materials. Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan accepted his affidavit, stating no further directions were required.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition concerning the film “Ghooskhor Pandat” after filmmaker Neeraj Pandey notified the Court that he has withdrawn the film’s title and all related promotional materials.
A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan accepted Pandey’s affidavit and expressed hopes that this would resolve the controversy surrounding the film. The bench noted that in light of the filmmaker’s assurance to withdraw the contested title, no additional orders were necessary.
The court observed while closing the proceedings,
“They have now responded positively,”
The Bench further remarked that once the title and associated promotional content were withdrawn, it anticipated that the dispute would subside.
Factual Backgrounds:
Following the teaser launch on February 3, an FIR was filed in the Delhi High Court, alleging the film’s title deliberately associates “Pandat” with corruption and bribery. Advocate Vineet Jindal, the petitioner, sought a stay on its release, claiming the film contained content that was “communally offensive and defamatory,” which could harm the dignity and reputation of the Brahmin community.
The petitioner accused the film of promoting “collective defamation and hate speech,” asserting that it could disrupt communal harmony and public order.
The title Ghooskhor Pandat, which loosely translates to “a corrupt Pandat or Brahmin,” led to strong objections from members of the Brahmin community. Several petitions claimed that the title associates a caste-identifying term with corruption and bribery, thereby hurting religious and community sentiments.
“Ghooskhor Pandat,” featuring Manoj Bajpayee, tells the story of Ajay Dikshit, a police officer whose life changes due to a criminal incident involving a young girl. After facing multiple FIRs across India, claiming the film’s title defamed the Brahmin community, the makers decided to withdraw its promotional material from social media and revise the title to alleviate concerns.
Earlier Order of the Supreme Court:
The Supreme Court had previously directed the filmmakers to change the film’s title, stating that it denigrated a particular community. The Court also mandated that any content in the film deemed offensive to any group be removed.
During the hearing, the bench emphasized that freedom of expression does not allow for insults directed at any section of society. The apex court criticized Pandey for the title of his movie “Ghooskhor Pandat.”
The bench was hearing a plea seeking to stay the Netflix release of the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer, and it issued notices to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Central Board of Film Certification, and Neeraj Pandey.
The bench remarked,
“Why should you denigrate a section of society by using such a title? Freedom of expression is one thing, but that doesn’t give you a license to insult anyone. This is against morality and public order. We will not allow you to release the film unless you tell us the changed title… We thought filmmakers, journalists, etc. were responsible people,”
The top court also directed Pandey to file an affidavit confirming that “Ghooskhor Pandat” does not denigrate any community.
Affidavit of filmmaker Neeraj Pandey
Pandey indicated in his affidavit that, although a new title for the Manoj Bajpayee-starring film has not yet been finalized, it will not resemble the previous title.
In his affidavit, Neeraj stated,
“I respectfully submit that the earlier title ‘Ghooskhor Pandit’ stands unequivocally withdrawn and shall not be used in any manner whatsoever. While the new title has not yet been finalised, I undertake that any title that may be identified and adopted shall not be similar to, or evocative of, the earlier title in respect of which objections were raised, and shall accurately reflect the narrative and intent of the film without giving rise to unintended interpretations… I also state that all promotional material, posters, trailers, and publicity content under the earlier title have already been withdrawn, prior to the listing of the present petition.”
The film, directed by Neeraj Pandey, features Manoj Bajpayee in the lead role alongside Nushrat Bharuccha, Saqib Saleem, Akshay Oberoi, and Divya Dutta.
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