New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Monday dismissed the petition seeking a ban on the trailer of the film, The Accidental Prime Minister. The film, based on the book by the same name by media adviser to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sanjaya Baru, is to be released on January 11. While Anupam Kher has essayed the role of Singh, Akshaye Khanna plays Baru in the film.

The court said, since the petitioner, fashion designer Pooja Mahajan, did not have a locus standi on the matter, it qualified as a PIL. However, the court said, the petitioner could come back to the court with a PIL, which could be referred to a division bench.

On behalf of Mahajan, lawyer Arun Maitri had sought a stay on the trailer available on Google and YouTube, which has been sanctioned by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

The petition said that the filmmaker had had no right to defy the Constitution, which it alleged the film does by questioning the actions of persons who held constitutional positions. The petitioner further accused the producer and director of the film of profiteering. According to Mahajan, the film deliberately defames the post of the Prime Minister.

The petition raised an objection also to the fact that the filmmakers had not sought the consent of Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi before depicting them with the help of actors on the silver screen. According to the petitioner, real-life depictions in films need a no-objection certificate from the CBFC, but no such certificate was obtained for the trailer.

The petition argued that the trailer violated the Cinematography Act 38.

The Youth Congress is another entity that has objected to The Accidental Prime Minister. It has demanded that a special screening of the film be organised for the youth wing of the oldest party of the country before it is allowed to be released.

To these objections, actor Kher has retorted, asking why nobody had a problem when the book by Baru was released. He said that a special screening could be organised only for Singh — that too only if the former Prime Minister asked for it.