Orissa HC To Hold Final Hearing Of State Film Awards Case On Jan 17

Bhubaneswar: The Orissa High Court has ordered to hold the final hearing of the case, related to the 31st State Film Awards-2019, on January 17.

The High Court issued the order after hearing the case last Friday. All parties related to the case have been directed to present their views, evidence and document during the hearing.

A single judge bench of the court, headed by Justice Arindam Sinha, had issued a stay order on award presentation on December 13 last year. The bench made the ruling after hearing a petition filed by Odia film-maker Bobby Islam challenging the selection list. The awards ceremony was scheduled on December 14.

Justice Sinha had also directed the state government to evaluate afresh all the entries received for the awards and scheduled the next hearing on January 7, 2022. The department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture, which confers the State Film Awards, had published the final selection list on November 5, 2021.

In his petition, Islam, the director of film ‘Chabirani’, had alleged violation of the Odisha State Awards for Films Rules, 2010 in the selection process. Films ‘Khusi’ and ‘Golmal Love’, selected for the awards, were not original films and hence, not eligible to find place in the selection list, he added.