‘Kaali’ Poster Row: SC Protects Filmmaker Leena Manimekalai From Arrest

Filmmaker Leena Manimekalai in her petition to SC said that her intent was to depict a “radically inclusive goddess”

Leena Manimekalai in Kaali poster

Photo: Twitter

The Supreme Court on Friday protected documentary filmmaker Leena Manimekalai from coercive action in connection with multiple criminal cases lodged against her over a poster of her documentary film Kaali.

But what happened? Filmmaker Leena Manimekalai shared the news about the launch of her documentary film Kaali on 2 July, 2022. The poster depicted a woman dressed as Goddess Kaali smoking a cigarette and carrying the LGBTQIA+ flag

What was the reaction to the Kaali Poster?

• The poster triggered outrage from right-wing Hindu organisations.

• It prompted the Indian High Commission in Toronto to demand that the authorities in Canada remove the posters.

• The Aga Khan Museum, reacting to this, issued an apology and withdrew the film from their "Under the Tent" project.

• The Delhi Police’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit lodged a case against the filmmaker for allegedly promoting communal hatred.

• Furthermore, the filmmaker was trolled online, attacked with rape and murder threats, and subjected to gendered abuse.

• Leena Manimekalai faced several FIRs in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh over the poster of Kaali

What's the latest update?

• On 20 January, the Supreme Court granted filmmaker Leena Manimekalai interim protection from coercive action. It further stated that any future FIRs are to be consolidated in one state to prevent prejudice against the director. The top court also postponed the case until 20 February