New Delhi, Jan 20: Senior Supreme Court advocate Harish Salve, who represented the Padmaavat makers at the apex court's hearing on Thursday, claims to have received 'threats' from fringe groups who are seeking a ban on the film. The Delhi Police has registered a complaint and launched a search operation to trace the callers who issued the threat.

According to reports, Salve's office was dialed up by unknown callers who said the senior lawyer would face consequences for representing the Padmaavat director and producers before the Supreme Court.

At the SC hearing on Thursday, the ban on Padmaavat imposed by the four states of Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan was nullified by the top court.

The bench led by Chief Justice of India Deepak Misra, who heard the case, said banning a film which has been granted U/A certificate by the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) would amount to "violation of freedom of speech and expression".

Fringe groups have opposed the ruling of the top court, saying the "unofficial ban" will remain. The Shri Rajput Karni Sena, which has remained at the forefront of organising protests against the release of Padmaavat, said their agitation would turn violent if the movie is allowed to be screened.

Meanwhile, the governments of the states which had banned the movie said they could file a review petition after the studying the court's order.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 20, 2018 10:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).