A Bengaluru civil court has issued an ex-parte interim gag order against actor and politician Kamal Haasan, restraining him from making any statements suggesting the superiority of one language over another, particularly in relation to Kannada. The order was passed on July 4 by the 31st Additional City Civil and Sessions Court following a suit filed by Mahesh Joshi, chairman of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat.
The lawsuit comes after Haasan’s remarks during a film promotion, where he allegedly stated that “Kannada was born out of Tamil”. The Kannada Sahitya Parishat contended that the comment hurt the sentiments of Kannadigas and projected linguistic superiority.
In its order, the court observed, “This court is of the considered view that granting ex-parte ad-interim relief…is necessary in order to prevent the defendant from making any statement or remarks claiming linguistic superiority of one language over another and thereby hurting the sentiments of Kannada people.”
The order further said that the Kannada Sahitya Parishat is “empowered to take any steps in the interest of Kannadigas, their literature and culture”.
Noting the urgency of the matter, the court stated that issuing a notice to the defendant without an immediate injunction would defeat the purpose of granting timely relief.
The court concluded, “The defendant, his agents, assigns, representatives or any person acting under or through them are hereby restrained… from posting, making, issuing, writing, publishing and/or distributing any statement or remarks claiming linguistic superiority over Kannada language or by making any statements having the effect of causing hurt or defaming the Kannada language, literature, land and culture till the next date of hearing.”
Earlier, the makers of ‘Thug Life’ moved the Supreme Court after the Karnataka High Court indicated that an apology from the actor could help ease the release of the film in the state. The high court’s indication came after the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) threatened to target film theatres if the movie will be released in the state.
The Supreme Court on June 18 directed the Karnataka government to ensure that ‘Thug Life’ is released without any interruptions. This came after the state submitted an affidavit assuring the court that there would be no restrictions on the film’s release. The court also instructed the government to take prompt action against any groups attempting to obstruct the screening through unlawful means.