Kochi, February 26 A division bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday considered an appeal against the single judge's order, which had put on hold the release of the film "The Kerala Story 2 - Goes Beyond" for 15 days.
In a late-evening hearing, Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and P V Balakrishnan observed that the pleas opposing the film's certification were in the nature of a public interest litigation and questioned how the single judge could have heard it.
Hours after the single judge had stayed the film's release, the producers moved an appeal, and the hearing by the division bench began at 8 pm.
The producers claimed that the film does not harm or denigrate the state of Kerala or any religious community.
Appearing for the producers, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul told the court that even the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) found that there was nothing in the film that denigrates the state.
"The film only portrays a social evil," he contended.
