Supreme Court refuses to ban Jagannath animated film, backs artistic freedom

The Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking a ban on an animated film based on Mahaprabhu Jagannath. The bench underscored that artists must be free to express themselves creatively, including when depicting deities. The judges pointed out that banning such portrayals could also affect numerous religious television programmes. Since the film had already received Censor Board certification, the court found no grounds for judicial intervention. The bench declined to curb artistic creativity solely on the basis of objections raised by a small number of individuals.