Delhi HC refuses to halt ‘The Taj Story’ release, asks petitioners to move Centre over film row

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to halt the release of the Paresh Rawal-starrer ‘The Taj Story’, observing that it is not the role of the judiciary to act as a “Super Censor Board.”

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela made the remarks while hearing two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) that sought to restrain the release of the movie, alleging that it misrepresents historical facts and could disturb communal harmony.

The Court also questioned the petitioners for naming actor Paresh Rawal as a respondent, noting that he had merely performed his professional duties.

“Why have you made the actor a party? If tomorrow you file a contempt, would you make the lawyer a party? Paresh Rawal is a professional actor, not responsible for the content,” the Bench said.

The judges also pointed out that the petitioners had not done adequate groundwork before filing their pleas and had not approached the central government or the Censor Board with their grievances.

Central Government Standing Counsel Ashish Dixit, appearing for the Union of India, told the court that no representations were made to the government prior to filing the petitions.

Following this, the Bench permitted the petitioners to withdraw their pleas and directed them to approach the Central government under Section 6 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, which allows for revision of certification decisions.

“In case any revision is filed before the Central government, the same shall be decided expeditiously,” the court said, further directing that Paresh Rawal’s name be removed from the memo of parties.

The petitions, filed by advocates Chetna Gautam and Shakeel Abbas, alleged that the film’s trailer—showing the Taj Mahal’s dome lifting to reveal a figure of Lord Shiva—presents a distorted version of history and risks inciting communal tensions.

Meanwhile, ‘The Taj Story’ is scheduled for nationwide release on October 31, 2025. (ANI)