SC refuses stay on Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Indu Sarkar' release

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stay the release of filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar's movie "Indu Sarkar", which deals with the Emergency imposed in 1975 by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

A bench of Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Amitav Roy and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, dismissed the plea filed by a woman who claims to be the biological daughter of late Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi.

"The movie is an artistic expression within the parameters of the law," said the bench while dismissing the plea of Priya Singh Paul.

Paul has told the court that the film was "full of concoction and totally derogatory" to malign the image of Sanjay Gandhi and his mother, Indira Gandhi.

The petitioner moved the top court as Bombay High Court had dismissed her plea on July 24, saying no "known descendant" of Sanjay Gandhi has objected to the movie.

In her petition, the woman has claimed that Sanjay Gandhi was her biological father and the movie points fingers at him.