Aside from Imam, five other persons filed a separate petition seeking to postpone the release of the film till the criminal cases allegedly involving some of them were adjudicated.Of the five, three face prosecution in the riots cases and two persons lost their family members in the violence.The five petitioners, represented by advocates Mehmood Pracha and Jatin Bhatt, said the trailer of the movie “2020 Delhi” was intended to present a distorted, erroneous, and false narrative of the events surrounding the riots.They also sought the quashing of the film certification issued by the CBFC.Imam’s plea stated the creators of the film had intentionally and deliberately thwarted the legal processes that exist, ignored the constitutional framework and purposefully misrepresented the account of the alleged events that took place in Delhi during February 2020.”Such a heavily biased narrative, as showcased in the trailer of the film, has the potential to prejudice not just the bail application of the petitioner that is pending before this court but the sessions trial which is yet to commence before the special court,” said his plea.The plea further said the trailer featured a representation of the petitioner, showcased as the main character of the film, which could adversely affect his right to reputation and right to life with dignity It said no disclaimers or caveats were issued by the filmmakers saying charges are yet to be framed or the matter is pending in the court.Sharjeel Imam, along with several other student leaders and human rights activists are accused of orchestrating the February 2020 Northeast Delhi riots which claimed at least 53 lives, mostly Muslims who were part of the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. However, the catalyst for the riots, according to media reports citing eyewitnesses, was comments made by BJP leaders including Kapil Mishra, who on February 23 issued a public ultimatum declaring that if the police did not clear the streets of the anti-CAA protesters, his supporters would be “forced to hit the streets.”(With inputs from Online Desk)
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