J&K High Court has issued a notice to the Central Government and the Union Territory of J&K on Thursday, on a petition filed to stop the film Shikara on the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits and to remove controversial scenes in it. The case will be heard again on Friday 7 February. The film Shikara is also releasing on February 7.

Three people from Kashmir, Majeed Hydari, Iftikhar Ahmed Misgar, and Irfan Hafiz, had filed a PIL in Jammu and Kashmir High Court two days ago to ban producer-director Vidhu Vinod Chopra's film Shikara. On Thursday, this petition was heard by the division bench of Justices Ali Mohammad Magare and Justice Dhiraj Thakur in the High Court.

The petitioners urged the court that the film should be banned until the competent authority reviews the film and makes necessary amendments. He said that all scenes and dialogues should be removed from the film which may lead to communal polarization in the country, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. He urged the court to direct the concerned party to stay the release of the film until a final decision on the petition is made.

Taking cognizance of the division bench, it said that due to the sensitivity of the matter, immediate action is needed. In view of the plea for interim relief made by the petitioners, it is necessary to know the favor of the official parties in this case. Therefore, the matter will be heard again on Friday morning so that the government's side can also be heard. The Division Bench directed Senior Additional Advocate General BA Dar and SGI Tahiran Majid Shamsi to receive notice on behalf of the Central Government, Jammu Kashmir Administration, Central Film Censor Board, and National Film Development Corporation, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.

Copies of the petition were also given to the lawyers concerned. Apart from this, the Advocate General has also been issued notice to appear in court in the related matter on Friday morning. According to the petitioners Majid Hydari, Iftikhar Misagar, and Irfan Hafiz Lone, the film portrayed Kashmir Muslims in a negative manner. is. The entire Kashmiri Muslim community has been blamed for the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits. The trailer of the film which has been released, states that this film can spoil communal harmony. The way Kashmiri Muslims are portrayed in the film is far from the truth.

Advocate Shafqat Ahmed, appearing for the petitioners on behalf of the petitioners, said that the court has also issued a notice to the filmmaker, the central government and the Ministry of Information, asking them to present their case in the court. We sincerely hope that given the sensitivity of the case, the court will ban the film's release.