Bharat: Delhi High Court dismisses plea seeking stay on Salman Khan's film

The Delhi High Court on Monday rejected a plea seeking a stay on the release of Salman Khan's upcoming movie "Bharat". A Division Bench of Justices J.R. Midha and Chander Shekhar said that the petition was without merit and premature as the petitioner has only seen the trailer and not the full movie. The bench also watched the trailer of the movie inside the courtroom and found nothing wrong in it. The court was hearing a plea filed by activist Vikas Tyagi who said that the word 'Bharat' cannot be used for commercial purposes.

Tyagi has requested the Delhi High Court to direct the producer and director of the film to change the title of the movie. He said that the title was in violation of Section 3 of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act which prohibits the use of "Bharat" for any trade, business and profession.

As per the Constitution, 'Bharat' is the official name of the country, he argued. He has also sought a change in the dialogue where the character has been compared to the country. Tyagi said the court should put an end to the tricks of encashing the people's patriotic sentiments and if such things don't stop, patriotism will have a new vulgar look. "Bharat" is an adaptation of the Korean film "An Ode To My Father".

"Having watched the South Korean film, I felt there is no need to name this film after our nation. It is merely a shameless, cunning stratagem to encash the deep rooted feelings for the country...," the petitioner said. The activist added that after watching the trailer, he concluded that it was a typical entertainer.