The Gujarat High Court on Friday lifted the interim stay to the release of Maharaj, the debut film of Bollywood star Aamir Khan’s son Junaid, observing that there is nothing derogatory in the movie and it does not target the Pushtimarg sect as alleged.
The film is based on an 1862 libel case involving a Vaishnavite religious leader and social reformer Karsandas Mulji. Some members of the Pushtimarg sect had filed a petition against its release on Netflix, claiming that it hurts religious sentiments.
Justice Sangeeta Vishen had on June 13 given an interim stay to the release of the movie on the OTT platform.
In her order on Friday, the judge noted that the movie has been certified by CBFC and it does not target the sect.
The 1862 libel case arose from an article written by Karsandas Mulji in a Gujarati weekly, alleging that a Vaishnavaite leader had liaisons with his female devotees.
Yash Raj Films (YRF), producer of Maharaj, had offered to provide the court pre-release access to the film for deciding whether it hurts the religious sentiments of any community.
