NEW DELHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday stayed for two weeks its single judge order that had put the release of the film ‘The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond’ on hold.The development comes amid a legal battle over the film’s screening in the state, with the producer challenging the earlier interim relief granted against its release.On Thursday, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas had stayed the film’s release for 15 days. The court had observed that there was a prima facie “manifest non-application of mind to the requirement of law” by the censor board, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).The judge had also said that “the possibility of communal disharmony or denigration of a community also being prima facie involved in the movie”, and that releasing it without scrutiny by higher authorities would be legally improper.Referring to the teaser, the court had further noted that it had “a prima facie potential to distort public perception and disturb communal harmony”.Following the single judge’s order, the film’s producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah approached a division bench of the high court late on Thursday night.The appeal was heard by a bench comprising Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and P V Balakrishnan, which reserved its order after hearing detailed arguments from all sides. At that time, the bench had not granted any interim stay on the single judge’s direction.With Friday’s decision, the operation of the earlier order has now been kept in abeyance for two weeks.

Ticket sales refunded, no contempt plea

Meanwhile, lawyers representing the petitioners opposing the film’s screening said that tickets booked earlier in the day were being refunded and the movie had not been released.Advocate Maitreyi Sachidananda Hegde, appearing for one of the petitioners, Sreedev Namboodiri, had earlier mentioned before Justice Thomas that ticket bookings were continuing despite the stay.She had also indicated that she would verify whether the film was being screened and, if so, move a contempt petition.However, later in the afternoon, Hegde told news agency PTI that on verification she found that “the film has not been released and the ticket amounts were being refunded”.“So, I will not be moving a contempt petition,” she said.