Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala State Chalachitra Academy has expressed protest over the filing of an FIR against film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan and 49 other celebrities who had sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising concern over the growing incidents of lynching in the country.
The academy, in a statement released here on Saturday, said the move by the government was a blatant violation of the freedom of expression guaranteed under the Constitution.
"Adoor Gopalakrishnan is someone who has always upheld human values through his movies. The act of registering a case against those who had expressed concern over the growing action against humanity does not go well along with a civilised democratic society," the academy said.
The academy also lashed at the government for muzzling the voices of dissent and expressed solidarity with Adoor.
An FIR was filed at Muzaffarpur in Bihar on Thursday against nearly 50 eminent personalities, including Ramchandra Guha, Mani Ratnam, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Aparna Sen, who had written the open letter.
According to reports, a local lawyer, Sudhir Kumar Ojha, had approached the court alleging that the open letter signed by nearly 50 eminent personalities “tarnished the image of the country and undermine the impressive performance of the Prime Minister and supported secessionist tendencies.”
According to PTI, the accused have been booked under various section of the IPC including for sedition, public nuisance, hurting religious feelings and insulting with an intent to provoke breach of peace.
The letter, written in July, also noted that the slogan 'Jai Shri Ram' had been turned reduced to a 'provocative war cry'.
In response to the letter, another band of 61 celebrities had written another letter slamming the 'selective outrage and false narrative' of the first open letter.
B Gopalakrishnan, a BJP leader from Kerala, even asked Adoor Gopalakrishnan to 'change his name and go to another planet' if he is unable to hear the Jai Shri Ram chant.
Adoor had on Friday expressed concern over the FIR saying it was allegedly undemocratic and would create doubts on the law and order situation in the country.
CPI(M) demands sedition case against celebs be rescinded
The CPI (M) condemned the registration of a sedition case against the celebrities saying this reflects the "growing authoritarianism" in the country.
"Writing a letter to the Prime Minister expressing opinions on important matters cannot be constituted as a crime and be termed anti-national. This is tantamount to punishing all those who have a dissenting opinion on the policies of the present government. This is a complete negation of democratic rights and reflects the growing authoritarianism in the country," the CPI(M) said.
It is surprising that a court in Muzaffarpur has ordered the registration of this case, when the Supreme Court had ruled as early as 1962 that the sedition clause cannot be invoked unless there is a direct cell or instigation of violence against the state, it added.
The party demanded that the charges against these intellectuals and artists be immediately rescinded.
(With inputs from PTI)
