Goddess Kaali poster: SC says no coercive action against filmmaker Leena Manimekalai till Feb 3rd week

New Delhi: Supreme Court in its order Friday protected filmmaker Leena Manimekalai from arrest, other coercive processes in multiple FIRs lodged against her in different states over a poster of her documentary showing an actor depicting goddess Kali smoking a cigarette.

"No coercive action against the petitioner (Leena Manimekalai) will be taken either in the FIRs or any case till February third week, when we will take up the matter further", said, the two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dr Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chadrachud and also comprising Justice P S Narasimha.

The Apex Court also issued notices to the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, in which FIRs have been registered against the petitioner, Leena.

Senior lawyer, Kamini Jaiswal, for Leena, submits that the petitioner (Leena) is a graduate student at York University in Canada and has made a short film on Goddess Kaali and that there is no intention to hurt religious sentiments but depict her in an inclusive sense, the CJI noted in its order and granted relief to her.

"We have protected you," the CJI said.

Filmmaker Leena Manimekalai has filed a petition in the Supreme Court last week, seeking protection and quashing of the multiple FIRs registered against her in various states over the poster of her documentary titled "Kaali".

The filmmaker, Leena, in her petition, filed before the Supreme Court, said she has received many calls threatening her with death threats and of her beheading, rape and murder after she tweeted the poster of her film, Goddess Kaali.

Leena, in her petition, filed before the Supreme Court, therefore, has sought immediate and appropriate action against those who attacked her in cyber space with threats of murder, rape against her.

Seeking relief from the Supreme Court, Leena, in her petition, said that there are multiple FIRS (First Information Report) registered against her in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand on the various complaints against the same poster.

She said the poster which showed herself dressed as the goddess Kaali, smoking a cigarette and holding a pride flag.

Leena has sought for immediate stay of the proceedings in the cases and quashing of the FIRs registered against her for the offence.

Leena claimed in her petition that she has not the slightest intention to offend the religious sentiments of any person or anyone or any organisation. She said, she being a creative filmmaker, in her idea, artistic freedom and expression, tried to depict the image of a "radically inclusive goddess".

"The multiple FIRs amount to harassment and infringement of her constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right to freedom of expression," Leena said in her petition filed before the Supreme Court. (UNI)