The Bombay high court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by Priyanka Singh Paul seeking a stay on release of upcoming movie Indu Sarkar as she could not prove being the biological daughter of Sanjay Gandhi, the late son of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The court also pointed out that the filmmakers have given a disclaimer that the movie is fiction. Indu Sarkar, directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, is purportedly a take on the Emergency period in the mid-seventies.

The division bench of Justice Anoop Mohta and Justice Anuja Prabhudessai refused to interfere and stay the release of the movie, saying the Central Board of Film Certification has already granted certificate for the release. The Board has experts and authority to check contents of films and grant them certificate, it said.

During the hearing, Mr Bhandarkar’s lawyer Brirendra Saraf argued before the court that the movie is due for release this Friday and there are a number of judgments of the high court that say that if anybody comes to court at such a late stage then stay would not be granted.