A poster for Udaipur files based on Kanhaiya Lal murder case since 2022. Photo Credit: Bookmyshow
A petition has been filed before the Delhi High Court, demanding the release of ‘Udaipur files’, claiming that the film based on tailor Kanhaiya Lal murder case has the ability to incite communal tension and disrupt public order in the country.
The petition has been filed by Maulana Arshad Madni, Jamit Ulama-e-Hind President and Principal of Darul Uloom Deoband, and is likely to come to hear on Wednesday.
Madani has claimed in the petition that a trailer of the film released on 26 June 2025 was filled with dialogues and examples, causing communal disagreements in 2022, and every capacity again prevents the same communal sentiments.
“The film, in fact, reflects court scenes, a statement made by a sitting Chief Minister also clearly mentions a party supporting a party and the controversial statement made by a politician – Nupur Sharma – resulting in communal violence and in return, Kanhaiya Lal’s fierce murder,” the petition claimed.
It said that the trailer continues as a mere view as the plot of the film leaves no way of doubt as the trailer itself wants to portray an entire community in a biased manner, causing the community members to violate the right to live with dignity.
“The trailer is enough to showcase itself to display its highly stimulating nature, which is capable of creating a nail among communities that can be the cause of serious disturbances for public peace and public system across the country, which was performed with the same set of repeated statements being repeated in the film,” said this.
The petitioner said that when the murder of Kanhaiya Lal was done by two fundamentalists, the trailer wants to portray the same with the complexity of the community’s religious heads/leaders.
The petition claimed, “The release of the film Udaipur files has the ability to incite communal tension and disrupt public order.”
As a result of the release of the film, “promoting an entire religious community, promoting hatred and severely weakened in religious harmony in the country, which is for direct violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution of India, as it promotes discrimination, and threatens life -long and safety for an entire community.
The petition also claimed that the film violates constitutional morality by making a weapon of expression to weaken the constitutional vision of a plural, inclusive and secular India, and violates constitutional ethics, and instead attempts mainstreams to deepen social and religious division.
“Artistic expression, no matter how to develop, cannot be allowed to be a vehicle to crush the fraternity and to uproot the moral foundation of the nation vested in the Constitution,” said this.
Published – July 08, 2025 10:57 am IST
