Delhi HC to hear on Nov 26 plea challenging CBFC certification to film '120 Bahadur'

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday listed for November 26 a plea challenging the CBFC certificate given to Farhan Akhtar starrer movie '120 Bahadur', alleging it distorts historical facts and demands a change in the film's name.

A public interest litigation (PIL), which was listed before a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, was posted for hearing next week as the bench did not assemble today.

The plea has been filed by Sanyukt Ahir Regiment Morcha, a charitable trust, its trustee, and family members of many soldiers who died in the Battle of Rezang La.

However, when the matter was called, no one appeared on behalf of the petitioners.

The movie portrays Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, who was conferred the Param Vir Chakra for bravery in the Battle of Rezang La in 1962. The film is slated to hit theatres on November 21.

The petition said the battle, fought at an altitude of 18,000 feet in the Chushul sector of Ladakh, and in which 114 of the 120 soldiers were killed, is acknowledged in the History Division of the Ministry of Defence as the epitome of collective valour.

The company, composed predominantly of (113) Ahir (Yadav) soldiers from Rewari and adjoining regions, defended the Rezang La Pass — the first line of defence of the Chushul airfield with unparalleled courage and devotion to duty, it said.

The petitioners challenged the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certificate and impending release of the film, which, it alleged, purports to depict the battle but distorts historical truth by singularly glorifying Major Shaitan Singh as a lone protagonist under the fictionalised name 'Bhati'.

It said the film erases the collective identity, regimental pride and contribution of the Ahir soldiers who fought and fell beside Major Shaitan Singh.

The plea said the portrayal violates the provisions of the Cinematograph and the Certification Guidelines, which prohibit the exhibition of films presenting a "distorted view of history." It also contravenes Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which criminalises imputations against deceased persons wounding the sentiments of their relatives, the plea said.

The trust has given a representation to the authorities for review and stay of certification, and the release of the movie, till the director changes the film's name and adds a disclaimer acknowledging the contribution of the Ahir community in the battle.