In Brief
A public interest litigation petition sought to prevent exhibition of the film "Padmavati" abroad and direct the CBI to file criminal charges against filmmakers, claiming violations of film certification rules and obscenity laws. The Supreme Court dismissed the petition, holding that courts should not pre-judge matters pending before the statutory Central Board of Film Certification. The Court emphasized that no right is absolute, but restrictions must be reasonable. Artistic licence in creative works deserves high protection and objective case-by-case assessment. The petition's scurrilous allegations and lack of foundation constituted an abuse of PIL, filed merely for publicity before the statutory authority decided on certification.
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