Delhi High Court rejects PIL against the release of The Taj Story

The Delhi High Court on Thursday (October 30, 2025) declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking a stay on the release of the Bollywood film The Taj Story, observing that the court could not act as a “super Censor Board”. 

The film, starring Paresh Rawal, is scheduled for release on Friday. 

A Bench of the Chief Justice of Delhi HC Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela noted that the Cinematograph Act, 1952 contains no provision for review of certification decisions by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). 

“Are we a super Censor Board? Just because you say, will we pass an order?” the Bench remarked, adding that differing perspectives on historical events were common. 

“Even for history, two historians may have different views, but which historian’s view is correct — is this something to be decided by us?” the Bench said. 

The court also questioned why actor Paresh Rawal had been made a party to the case. “He is only a professional actor. He is not responsible for the content. It is the producer or maybe the director,” the court said. 

The PIL had challenged the CBFC’s certification of the film, alleging that the movie was based on fabricated facts, and pushed a particular political narrative that could disturb communal harmony. 

The petitioner sought direction to include a disclaimer stating that the film “deals with a contested narrative and does not claim to be a definitive historical account”. 

However, the court said, Section 6 of the Cinematograph Act provides a revisional remedy to approach the Central government, making it the appropriate forum for such grievances.