Supreme Court Denies Urgent Hearing on 'Thug Life' Film Security Plea

The Supreme Court declined to conduct an immediate hearing on a petition seeking security for the screening of the recent film 'Thug Life,' featuring Kamal Haasan. The Karnataka Theatre Association filed the petition under Article 32, alleging that certain disruptive elements were threatening theaters in Karnataka that wished to screen the film. The production house approached the Supreme Court for relief in this matter. The petitioners claimed that when they previously approached the High Court, they were advised to negotiate with the threatening parties.

During the hearing, Justice P.K. Mishra questioned the necessity of filing the petition under Article 32 and rejected the request for an expedited hearing, directing the petitioners to approach the High Court instead. The petitioner's lawyer highlighted the serious law-and-order situation in Karnataka and requested the Supreme Court's immediate intervention. The controversy arose after the state of Karnataka imposed a ban on the actor's film following his controversial remarks regarding the Kannada language. During a previous hearing at the Karnataka High Court regarding the security plea for the film's screening, the actor announced that he would not release the film in Karnataka for the time being.

After the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce yielded to the demands of pro-Kannada groups, the producers sought relief from the High Court to lift the ban on the film's release across the state.