The Supreme Court has stayed the release of the upcoming film Hamare Baarah on Thursday, a day before its scheduled premiere. According to Bar and Bench, the court directed the Bombay High Court to expedite its decision on a petition alleging that the film contains derogatory content towards the Islamic faith.

This decision came after the Supreme Court reviewed a petition challenging the Bombay High Court’s earlier refusal to halt the film’s release. The filmmakers' counsel argued that they had removed all objectionable scenes from the promotional material in compliance with the Bombay HC’s order. However, the Supreme Court dismissed this claim, stating, “We saw the teaser this morning and all scenes are there.”

The filmmakers’ lawyers contended that a stay on the release would result in significant financial losses. The Supreme Court responded, “If the teaser is so offensive, then what about the whole movie… Prima facie it seems you have failed since you deleted the scenes from the teaser.”

Previously, the Bombay High Court had been approached with arguments that the film portrays Muslims in a negative light, specifically misrepresenting a verse from the Quran. Initially, the Bombay HC restrained the release of the film until June 14^th and ordered the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to form a panel to review the film. Subsequently, the court allowed the film's release, provided certain dialogues were deleted. However, the panel requested additional time to provide their comments, to which the High Court objected.

The controversy surrounding Hamare Baarah continues as the legal battle over its content and release unfolds.