Kerala High Court Directs Centre To Decide Amal Neerad Productions' Plea To Submit 'Bougainvillea' For National Film Awards

Justice V G Arun, gave the direction in a writ petition filed by the production house of 'Bougainvillae' malayalam movie.

The petitioner, a production company, approached the High Court after being unable to remit the requisite application fee on the National Awards portal.

The counsel for the petitioners submitted that the portal malfunctioned, when the application process had reached the tenth stage, with only the final payment step remaining, preventing the completion of the submission process before the deadline of October 31, 2025.

Seeking redressal, the petitioner submitted a formal representation (Exhibit P7) to the authorities on October 31, 2025, to extend the time for accepting the application.

The petitioner has also submitted that the film in question had been critically acclaimed and the State government had conferred 7 awards in the Kerala State Film Awards, 2024. Therefore, the denial of an opportunity to compete at the national level could adversely affect not only the production company but also the artists associated with the project.

During the hearing, the Deputy Solicitor General of India (DSGI), appearing for the respondents, submitted that the official portal for applications had been operational since October 10, 2025, and that wide publicity had been given across India, including 21 advertisements in Kerala alone, detailing the procedure and deadlines for submission.

The Court observed that it cannot delve into the question whether the petitioner was prevented from submitting application due to technical glitch. However, noting that the petitioner had lodged a grievance and made a timely representation, the Court held that the competent authority must take a decision on the request expeditiously.

The Court disposed of the writ petition and directed the second respondent, which is the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, to consider the petitioner's representation and pass a reasoned order within ten days of receiving the judgment.

Case Title: M/S Amal Neerad Productions LLP v Union of India

Case No: WP(C) 42229/ 2025

Citation: 2025 Livelaw (Ker) 737

Counsel for Petitioner: V Harish, Rajan Vishnuraj, Varun Jacob

Counsel for Respondent: O M Shalina (DSGI)