Allahabad court refuses stay on Mirzapur: The Movie over violence, obscenity plea

The Allahabad High Court on Thursday refused to stay the release of Mirzapur: The Movie, which is set to hit theatres on today, and adjourned a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a stay by four weeks. The petition was filed by Lucknow-based lawyer Shalu Pandey, who alleged that the film contains derogatory references to Mirzapur, excessive violence and obscene content.The petitioner sought interim relief in the form of a stay on the theatrical release, trailers and promotions of Mirzapur: The Movie a day before its release. The plea also sought the removal of derogatory references to Mirzapur, explicit violence and obscene content from the film before its release.The petitioner, a lawyer by profession, submitted that the previous OTT seasons contained extreme profanity, sexual perversion, and gruesome violence, violating various sections of the IT Act and Mirzapur District is facing territorial defamation and there is stereotyping of the State of Uttar Pradesh.Pandey's plea argued that Mirzapur is globally recognised for Vindhyanasini Dham (Shakti Peeth) and GI-tagged Carpet/Brass handicrafts. Replacing this identity with systemic criminality causes severe psychological humiliation to local residents. The plea argued that the movie has several scenes of abuse, sexuality and many other things which are dangerous for society and, as such, the interference of the Court is extremely necessary.However, the High Court saw that the Respondents had not been served by the petitioner. Advocates Jay K. Bhardwaj, Pratibha Rawat and Imran, who appear for Excel Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the production and distribution company that is owned by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, were served notice about the PIL only on Thursday evening, hours before Mirapur: The Movie's release.Thus, the court adjourned the hearing of the PIL by four weeks without granting any stay on release.- EndsPublished On: Sep 4, 2026 08:22 IST