Amir Khan’s son Junaid Khan’s debut film ‘Maharaj’ has finally emerged from legal trouble following a recent court ruling. On Friday, June 21, the Gujarat High Court lifted the interim stay on the release of the Netflix film. The day before, on Thursday, June 20, the HC had extended the temporary stay for another day. The film was originally slated for release on June 14 but was stayed by the High Court just one day prior.

‘Maharaj’ by Junaid Khan is based on the 2013 book by Gujarati writer Saurabh Shah. It centers on the 1862 libel case involving Vaishnavite religious leader and journalist Karsandas Mulji. The film faced legal challenges from members of the Pushtimarg sect, who argued that ‘Maharaj’ contained scandalous and defamatory language that could incite hatred and violence against the sect, violating the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

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In her final verdict, Justice Sangeeta Vishen stated, “This court arrives at the prima facie conclusion that the film, Maharaj, is based on events that led to the filing of the libel case and is not targeted at hurting the sentiments of the Pushtimarg community. The film had been certified by the Central Board for Film Certification…The interim relief granted on June 13 has been vacated.”

The Gujarat HC judge reviewed the film on Thursday following the complaint. Lifting the injunction, the court ruled that the film doesn’t contain any objectionable material that could impact the sect. Addressing concerns about potential communal tensions, the judge clarified, “The book was published in 2013 based on the same libel case and no incident has been reported. Even the petitioners have not made any submission that the book has caused any communal disharmony.”

Previously, on Thursday, the petitioners’ lawyer, Advocate Mihir Joshi, argued that Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of speech and expression, does not grant a “license to insult,” and that the law does not protect publishers merely because their creation is based on true events.

Advocate Joshi also mentioned that the petitioners had approached the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to request a prohibition on the film’s release, but received no response. In response to the plea, Justice Sangeeta Vishen had extended the stay on the film’s release for one more day, adjourning the hearing to Friday, June 21, afternoon.

Now that the film has been given the green light, Netflix and YRF can release the movie at any time. Alongside Junaid Khan, the film stars Jaideep Alhawat, Sharvari Wagh, and Shalini Pandey.