The Kerala High Court on Thursday (June 18) issued urgent notice before admission to Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the producer of the film Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond in a plea challenging certification of the film and seeking removal of 'Kerala' from the movie title.

Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan orally asked if the plea has become infructuous since it was already released and a lot of people had already watched the film. However, Advocate Chelson Chembarathy appearing for the petitioner stressed upon the OTT release of the film.

"Can hear this matter...That is considered by this Court once and interim order passed was set aside...Let me go through it. Let me read that judgment also...I may have a different opinion if it was before release. But at this stage, what to do?", the judge responded.

As Censor Board questioned the maintainability of the plea, the Court observed that the same can be decided at the time of final hearing.

Earlier this week, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas had recused from hearing the plea.

The movie was released on February 27 after Justice Bechu's interim order, in other two writ petitions, staying release of the movie was lifted vide an interim order by the Division Bench.

Subsequently, the afore two pleas were dismissed and last week, the Division Bench of the High Court had also dismissed as 'infructuous' the appeals preferred by the Centre and the producer.

The Union and the CBFC had filed appeals challenging the order, wherein the Single Judge had held that petitioners in two of the writ petitions had sufficiently proved their locus standi, individual grievances and the maintainability of the pleas. While dismissing the appeals, the Division Bench had left open the question of law raised by the CBFC and Union regarding maintainability of private interest litigations challenging certification granted to a film alleging disrepute to a State.

During a previous hearing of the present plea, the counsel appearing for the producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah had submitted that the present litigation must be condemned.

The plea also alleges that the producer of the film committed offences punishable under Sections 196 [Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony], 197 [Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration] and 299 [Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs] of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and that the contents of the film are prejudicial to public harmony.

A petition has also been filed in the plea to implead Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited since the OTT release of the film was made through the platform on May 1.

The petitioner has also sought to produce certain additional documents, including an email addressed by him to the Content Grievance Redressal Officer of Zee Entertainment as well as a compilation of screenshots available across various social media platforms circulating and portraying the movie as a reality and promoting hate narrative against Keralites and the minority community.

Case No: WP(C) 11010/2026

Case Title: Yohan George v. Union of India