Delhi HC permits release of documentary on victims

R Sedhuraman

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, February 15 

The Delhi High Court on Monday allowed the screening of ‘The Textures of Loss’ — a 61-minute documentary on the victims of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir — without any deletions but with a disclaimer that the movie was not intended to hurt or defame any person, community or institution.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath delivered the judgment after watching the movie in the court premises. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had directed the producer to delete four scenes, while the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal had reduced the deletions to two.

One of the allegedly objectionable scenes in the movie by Pankaj Butalia talks of disproportionate response by paramilitary forces and in another scene a victim curses the government for ruining his family.

“We do not find any objectionable material in the film in question. … All that the film seems to depict is the emotions of the persons who lost their dear ones in the violence. The writ petitioner has made an attempt to portray the life of the people in the valley of Kashmir, who were affected by long-term violence by interviewing the family members of some of the victims of violence. “

“The persons who were interviewed had merely narrated their experiences and the loss suffered by them on account of the conflict between the militants and the security forces/police. The statements of the persons in the interview were their personal views and the same can neither have any demoralizing effect on the security forces nor can they be termed as anti-national. Moreover the film is a documentary and cannot be equated with the motion pictures which generally cater for mass audience,” the high court held.