Ban on Modi biopic during polls valid, ECI tells SC

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has reiterated that its decision to ban the release of the biographical film on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the ongoing polls is valid, a source said on Wednesday. The ECI submitted its report in a sealed cover on biopic PM Narendra Modi to the Supreme Court on Monday. According to a source familiar with the poll body’s report to the court, it said the officials who watched the film opined that there was high probability that a particular political party would gain electoral mileage if the film was permitted to be released during the ongoing polls. Consequently, the poll body is justified in its decision to release the film after the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 19, according to the report. The Supreme Court will decide on the ECI’s report on Friday. The poll panel submitted the report in the court through its counsel Rakesh Dwivedi. The court has also directed the ECI counsel to share the report with the film’s producer, who had moved the court challenging the Commission’s decision to ban its release despite getting the nod of the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC). The source said that the movie pivoted on popularising the character of Mr. Modi, and also portrays him as a leader with no-compromise approach. 'Content of the movie uni-dimensional' “The content of the movie is uni-dimensional” said the source. The poll body had said that the release of the film was not justified after the Model Code of Conduct came in force. The film producer on the contrary had said the ECI’s ban was simply an exaggeration. The Supreme Court will rule on these contentions by the end of this week. Source: The Hindu