A view of the High Court of Karnataka.
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The High Court of Karnataka on Friday asked actor Kamal Haasan’s Raajkamal Films International (RKFI), Chennai, to file its statement of objections, if any, against the applications filed by the Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) and an advocate, who want to be part of proceedings in its petition seeking protection for the release of the Tamil film Thug Life in Karnataka.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order while adjourning further hearing till June 20 on the petition, filed by the RKFI, which had also sought a direction to retrain the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) from issuing any instruction in relation to banning release and distribution of Thug Life in Karnataka as the KFCC had demanded an apology from Mr. Haasan for his controversial statement that “Kannada is born out of Tamil”. Mr. Haasan is one of the directors of the RKFI.

‘Stupid statement’

Earlier, Senior Advocate S. Basavaraj, who appeared for the KSP, termed as a “stupid statement” the actor’s remark on Kannada, while placing some books before the court on historical background of the language.

Mr. Basavaraj also questioned how a person, who set his house on fire can seek the help from the court to douse the blaze, while pointing out that opposition for the release the film was a result of his statement on Kannada without any basis.

“Again, I am repeating, discretion is the best part of valour,” the judge orally told the petitioner’s advocate while adjourning the hearing, to which the petitioner’s advocate said he would convey it to the petitioner.

Earlier observations

During an earlier hearing on June 3, the court had said it was “of the prima facie opinion that, if a sentence of apology had been included while concluding the communication [from Mr. Haasan to the KFCC], it would have concluded/ended all controversy and the unrest or disharmony in the State of Karnataka” on release of the film.

Also, the court on June 5 adjourned the hearing as the petitioner’s advocate had said the screening of the movie would not be insisted upon till the dialogue/trialogue with the KFCC to resolve the issue after Mr. Haasan chose not to go by the suggestion made by the court to apologise to put an end to the controversy.