The Bombay High Court has approved the release of “Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi,” a film reported to be inspired by the life of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. On Monday, a division bench comprising Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Neela K. Gokhale ordered the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to grant a certificate for the film without modifications.
The court noted, “We have reviewed the instances highlighted by the CBFC, but we do not see anything inappropriate.”
The movie, created by Samrat Cinematics India Pvt Ltd, takes cues from Shantanu Gupta’s biography The Monk Who Became Chief Minister (2017), which has received official endorsement from the UP Chief Minister’s Office.
The conflict started when the CBFC highlighted 29 concerns regarding the film. Although eight were later eliminated, the board ultimately denied certification. The filmmakers contended that the proposed alterations were intolerable and that the denial infringed upon their basic rights.
Representing CBFC, senior advocate Ram Apte stated that the film. could be libellous and must stay “accountable and attuned to the norms and principles of society.”
Nonetheless, upon examining the highlighted content, the court found otherwise and stated that the objections lacked merit.
The timeline of the situation also garnered interest. The filmmakers submitted their application for certification on June 5. According to the . regulations, the application ought to have been handled within 15 days, but no feedback was obtained for over a month. On July 17, the CBFC informed the court that a resolution would be made within two business days. On July 21, the board denied the film’s application, compelling the creators to seek a court remedy once more.
With Monday’s ruling, the court has permitted the film to be shown in theatres.
