Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Emergency’ Faces Further Delay as Bombay High Court Upholds Madhya Pradesh Ruling, Denies Urgent Certification

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday declined to direct the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue a certification for Kangana Ranaut's film, ‘Emergency’. This decision follows a previous order from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which directed the CBFC to address objections raised against the movie before granting a certification. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for September 19.

A division bench consisting of Justices BP Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla stated that issuing any directions would contravene the Madhya Pradesh High Court's directive. “The Madhya Pradesh HC has given the CBFC a direction. If we give any relief today then it would be directly in contravention of that order,” the bench explained. They emphasized that judicial propriety prevents them from overriding another court’s instructions.

The court instructed the CBFC to consider the objections to the film and make a decision by September 18. “We know that there is something else happening behind. We don't want to comment on it. The CBFC shall consider the objections and take a decision by September 18,” the bench said.

This comes after a petition from Zee Entertainment Enterprises, which co-produced ‘Emergency’. The petitioners had argued that the CBFC was unjustly withholding the film's certification, despite having supposedly completed the review process. Originally set for release on September 6, ‘Emergency’ faced delays due to the controversy surrounding its content. Sikh organizations, including the Shiromani Akali Dal, accused the film of misrepresenting historical facts and the Sikh community. As a result, the film’s release was postponed indefinitely.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court had previously addressed petitions from Sikh groups who claimed that the film might offend their religious sentiments. This court directed the CBFC to take these objections into account before certifying the film.

Kangana Ranaut, who stars in and co-produces the film, has criticized the delay. Despite the court’s decision, she claimed a partial victory, stating on social media, “High court has blasted censor for illegally withholding the certificate of #emergency.” Zee Entertainment Enterprises had approached the Bombay High Court, arguing that the CBFC was “arbitrarily and illegally” delaying the film’s certification. The petition also suggested that the CBFC had initially indicated the film was ready for certification, but later withheld it, likely due to the objections.

Senior Advocate Venkatesh Dhond, representing Zee, argued that the CBFC is not responsible for law and order issues and should issue the certificate if the film met all necessary modifications. However, CBFC’s Advocate Abhinav Chandrachud argued that the certificate had not been issued as it still required the chairperson’s signature and emphasized the need to respect the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order. The Bombay High Court noted that while the CBFC’s certification process is underway, it cannot force the board to issue the certificate in defiance of another court's ruling. The court urged the CBFC to resolve the objections swiftly and scheduled the next hearing to assess progress on September 19.​