Accused, convict in Batla House encounter told to point ‘offensive’ portions in John Abraham starrer

Justice Vibhu Bakhru also observed that if the film “Batla House” had the “propensity” to affect the ongoing proceedings in the Batla House encounter and the 2008 serial blasts cases, the release of the movie would be put on hold.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the accused and the convict in the Batla House encounter case to highlight the portions in an upcoming movie on the incident, starring John Abraham that were offensive to the petitioners.

The court was hearing a plea by Ariz Khan, an accused in the case, and a convict in the encounter, Shahzad Ahmed, who had sought postponing the release of the film alleging that the movie would influence the pending trial in the court. Both Khan and Ahmad are also accused in the Delhi serial blasts in 2008.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru also observed that if the film “Batla House” had the “propensity” to affect the ongoing proceedings in the Batla House encounter and the 2008 serial blasts cases, the release of the movie would be put on hold.

The court also observed that the movie is not a work of fiction, but purports to be a film based on the police files on the two cases and therefore, the filmmakers cannot say it was not based on the encounter.

On Thursday, appearing for the petitioners, their counsel said after watching the special screening of the movie on the orders of the high court, there are more objections and contentions that they want to highlight. He said the film shows a bomb being made at the Batla House flat and there are repeated references that various blasts in the country were carried out by the accused in the encounter case.

He also accused the movie of being “Islamophobic” and added it would have an effect on the judge conducting the trial.

However, the producers’ counsel claimed that it is an “unsubstantiated apprehension” of the petitioners that they figure as characters in the film, slated to hit theatres on August 15.

Following this, the court asked the petitioners to give a detailed note on exact sequences in the film where they and other accused in the two cases have figured as film’s characters.

The single-judge bench said that the petitioners’ contentions initially were based on the movie’s trailer and its posters, but as their lawyers have seen the film now, they can articulate their claim better on how the presumption of innocence in their favour has been hit by the movie.

The matter would be now heard on August 13.