Mumbai,September 07:The Bombay High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by a Ganpati mandal in Thane seeking a poster depicting Chhatrapati Shivaji killing Afzal Khan.
The court said the Thane police commissioner is well equipped and has the expertise to decide whether the poster would lead to a law and order situation.
While dismissing the petition filed by Hindu Jagruti Sarvajanik Shri Ganesh Mandal, the division bench of Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice RG Ketkar, however, allowed them leave to amend their petition seeking relief for a larger cause as to whether certain events of history which were not pleasing to a certain community can be freely depicted in a democratic country. “It is not possible for us to deal with threat perceptions. The matter has been examined at the highest level by the police. Because we do not have the necessary expertise in the field, we will not go against the decision of the police,” the bench in their order.
“We find substance in the petitioner’s argumentsthat if particular part of history is shown in society, it cannot be curbed and people should have freedom to show it.”
The Naupada police had on September 1 seized the poster depicting the Afzal Khan of Bijapur sultanate being slain by Shivaji. The police said residents of Rabodi could react negatively to it.