Feb 27, 2026 6:13pm IST
‘The Kerala Story 2’: Kerala High Court Vacates Stay; Film To Release Today Evening
The back-and-forth around “The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond” has continued to draw attention after the Kerala High Court yesterday stayed the release of the film, which was scheduled to hit theatres today. The High Court has now vacated the interim stay, and the movie is set to release in theatres from 7 pm this evening.
According to Bar & Bench, a Division Bench comprising Justices SA Dharmadhikari and PV Balakrishnan delivered the judgment, lifting the stay that had been imposed by single-judge Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas. Earlier, the film’s release had been put on hold for 15 days.
The Division Bench convened an urgent special sitting at 7:30 pm yesterday to hear the appeal filed by the film’s producers. After a two-hour hearing, the Bench reserved its verdict. The order vacating the stay was delivered at 4 pm today.
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Produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, “The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond” has remained in the headlines throughout the week. Directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh, the film stars Aditi Bhatia, Ulka Gupta and Aishwarya Ojha in the lead roles.
In his earlier order, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas, after hearing pleas against the film, observed as reported by Live Law that “the very content in the teaser itself, which is conceded to be part of the movie, has the prima facie potential to distort public perception and disturb communal harmony.”
The judge also noted that the CBFC may have overlooked certification guidelines and directed the board to re-examine the issue. “Dissemination of content which has a tendency to create discord, disturb law and order, or undermine social harmony cannot come within the ambit of freedom of speech and expression enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India,” the court added.
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