The Sindh High Court (SHC) rejected a petition seeking a ban on Saim Sadiq’s film Joyland on Tuesday.
The petitioner maintained in his plea that the "film contains highly objectionable material” and that its release violates Article 227 of the Constitution.
The applicant asked the court to revoke the film’s licence and censorship certificate.
"Did you see the movie?” asked Supreme Court Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh of the petitioner.
"You have not seen the film and have petitioned the court for a ban,” SHC Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh said, dismissing the petition.
On November 29, a similar petition was filed in Lahore High Court (LHC) against the screening of Saim Sadiq’s Joyland film.
According to the petitioner, the film "contains highly objectionable material that does not conform to our society’s social values and moral standards and is clearly repugnant to the norms of decency and morality.”
The Central Board of Film Censors allowed the screening of Pakistani film ‘Joyland,’ which had been banned almost a week before its release, last week.
The Central Board of Film Censors had reviewed the Pakistani film on the orders of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had formed an eight-member committee to assess the complaints as well as the merits of the film before deciding whether or not to release it.
Censor Board Chairman Muhammad Tahir Hassan said in a statement that the full board had approved the local screening of Joyland after removing some scenes. "A certificate for the film’s screening is being issued,” he added.
However, the screening of the film has been prohibited by the Punjab government.
