Udaipur, July 22, 2025 – On Monday July 21, the Centre told the Supreme Court that it has cleared Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder -- a film based on tailor Kanhaiya Lal's murder in Udaipur in 2022 – with six cuts recommended by an expert committee.

The Apex Court was told that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) accepted the report of an expert committee that recommended these changes. Among these is a detailed disclaimer clarifying that the film is a work of art and does not endorse violence or defamation against any community.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice JB Pardiwala, that the I&B Ministry ordered these cuts while passing an order on applications seeking revision of the certificate granted to the film by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

Cuts to Udaipur Files include changes to the credit card display, alteration of an AI-generated scene depicting a Saudi Arabian-style turban, renaming the character Nootan Sharma, removal of her dialogue saying that she only said what is written in religious scriptures and deletion of a conversation between the characters Hafiz and Maqbool.

Taking note of this, the Court postponed the hearing on the related petitions until July 24. All parties have been granted the liberty to file objections to the government's order. Until the next hearing, the ban on the film’s release will remain. Udaipur Files was earlier scheduled to hit the theatres on July 11.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Court that imposing any further changes would violate the right to Freedom of Expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.

Udaipur Files has been produced by Amit Jani, directed by Bharat S Shrinate and features Vijay Raaz, Rajneesh Duggal, Preeti Jhangiani, Kamlesh Sawant, Kanchi Singh and Mushtaq Khan.

With Media Inputs