MP High Court Dismisses Shah Bano’s Daughter’s Plea Against Haq, Calls Film ‘Fictional’

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has rejected a plea filed by Shah Bano’s daughter seeking to stop the release of the movie Haq. The Court observed that the film is fictional and carries a disclaimer stating it is inspired by the 1985 Supreme Court judgment in Mohd. Ahmad Khan v. Shah Bano Begum, and adapted from the book Bano: Bharat Ki Beti.

Justice Pranay Verma noted that since the movie is a dramatized and fictionalised version of real events, a certain degree of creative liberty is permissible. He stated that the movie does not claim to depict Shah Bano’s real life story, and therefore, cannot be considered false or defamatory.

The judge added that unless the film claimed to be a true account, it cannot be accused of misrepresenting any individual. Using fictional or personal details for cinematic impact does not make the portrayal objectionable.

The Court also pointed out that Haq draws from publicly available information, including court records and media reports about the 1985 case. Referring to the Supreme Court’s decision in R. Rajagopal v. State of Tamil Nadu, the bench said that once information is part of public record, the right to privacy no longer exists, and such content can be freely used by the media and filmmakers.

Citing K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India and the Madras High Court judgment in Deepa Jaya Kumar v. A.L. Vijay (2021), the Court reiterated that a person’s right to privacy and reputation ends with their death and cannot be inherited by others. Therefore, Shah Bano’s daughter cannot claim that her late mother’s privacy has been violated.

The Court further noted that the movie received a UA 13+ certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on August 28, 2025. If the petitioner had objections, she could have appealed to the Central Government under Section 5-E of the Cinematograph Act, instead of filing a writ petition directly before the High Court.

The bench also remarked that the petitioner delayed legal action despite the film being publicised months ago. The teaser was released on 23 September 2025, but the petition was filed only on 1 November 2025, a week before the scheduled release. The Court termed her conduct as “not that of a vigilant litigant” and dismissed the plea.

Haq is slated for release on 7 November 2025 and is said to be inspired by the historic Shah Bano case, where the Supreme Court upheld the right of a divorced Muslim woman to claim maintenance under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Case Details:
Ms. Siddiqua Begum Khan v. Union of India & Others
Writ Petition No. 42708 of 2025
Bench: Justice Pranay Verma
For Petitioner: Adv. Tousif Warsi
For UOI: Dy. Solicitor General Romesh Dave
For Respondents: Adv. H.Y. Mehta, Chinmay Mehta, Sr. Adv. Ajay Bagadia, and Ritik Gupta