Goddess Kali Poster Row: Filmmaker Leena Manimekalai Moves Supreme Court for Quashing of FIRs Against Her

New Delhi, January 14: Filmmaker Leena Manimekalai has moved the Supreme Court seeking clubbing and quashing of multiple FIRs registered against her in various states over a poster of her upcoming documentary film showing goddess Kali smoking a cigarette.

The plea seeks to club and quash the FIRs registered against her in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the poster, which shows Manimekalai herself dressed as goddess Kali and smoking a cigarette while holding a pride flag. Kaali: Leena Manimekali Defends Poster of Her Documentary After Pic of 'Goddess' Smoking Cigarette Causes Backlash on Social Media.

The filmmaker has also sought an ex-parte stay of the criminal proceedings emanating from these FIRs. The plea was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha for urgent listing.

The bench said Manimekalai's plea will be taken up for hearing on January 20. In her plea, Manimekalai has said her attempt as a creative filmmaker was not to offend the religious sentiment of anyone but to depict the image of a radically inclusive goddess. She has said her documentary film shows the broadminded traits of the goddess.

She has made the four states respondents in her plea, along with individual respondents. Her writ petition was filed in December but was registered on January 11.

Manimekalai has challenged the proceedings against her in the districts courts of Hazratganj in Lucknow, Ratlam, Bhopal and Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Haridwar in Uttarakhand and Delhi. Goddess Kali Poster Row: Delhi Court Issues Fresh Summons in Suit Against Filmmaker Leena Manimekalai.

The filmmaker has said she has faced death threats and open calls for beheading, after she tweeted the poster of her film. She has said the multiple FIRs against her amount to harassment and an infringement of her right to freedom of speech and expression.