Kerala High Cort Dismisses Plea To Not Certify Movie Named After Jesus (Eesho)

The Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation filed by a Christian organization name Christian Association For Social Action seeking a direction that certification under the Cinematograph Act should not be granted to the Malayalam movie titled Eesho.  'Eesho' is Jesus in Malayalam. 

A Division Bench of Chief Justice S. Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly while dismissing the plea orally said that merely because a film was named after a God, the Court cannot interfere in its certification.

The advertisement of the movie had sparked controversies in the State, with certain Christian organizations taking offence at it being named after Jesus.

The petitioner organization submitted that the sentiments of the Christian community in the State were hurt when the filmmakers released the advertisement about the movie with the tagline "Not from the Bible'.

However, the Bench observed that it cannot entertain a petition on such flimsy grounds.

The court orally observed that the tagline along with the title makes it clear that it's not from the Bible. It was noted that the tagline was used to avoid confusion among people. 

Advocate C. Rajendran represented the petitioner organization and ASG P. Vijayakumar made an appearance in the matter. 

Case Title: Christian Association & Alliance For Social Action (CASA) Vs Central Board of Film Certification