January 06, 2008	Sunday	Zilhaj 26, 1428

KARACHI, Jan 5: A division bench of the Sindh High Court suspended on Saturday the letter of instructions submitted by the Film Censors Board and directed it to allow the screening of a film earlier banned by the board.

The bench, comprising Justice Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui and Justice Dr Rana Mohammad Shamim, conducted an urgent hearing of a petition filed by M/s EverReady Pictures challenging a ban imposed by the board on the film ‘Dhan dhana dhan goal’.

Yousuf Moulvi, representing the petitioner firm, submitted that the firm had released the film with the permission of the censors board and the federal ministry of culture some six weeks ago. The board had also granted permission for the screening of the film till 2012, he argued.

He further submitted that the ban was imposed without due process of law and in violation of the constitutional provisions, and the board verbally asked the firm to stop the screening of the film while no written notice or reasons were given in this regard.

He argued that in 1981 the board had also banned a film of the Baho Film Corporation after allowing it for screening and the court had allowed the firm to display it.

The bench fixed Jan 22 as the next date of hearing and issued notices to officials of the censors board to submit their reply in court on the next hearing.