Court allows ‘Lalibazar’ to continue screening with some audio muted

KATHMANDU: The Patan High Court has once again declined to issue an interim order to halt the screening of the film Lalibazar, effectively allowing its continued nationwide release with certain restrictions.

Following a hearing on Wednesday, a joint bench of Justices Tanka Prasad Gurung and Achyut Kuinkel directed that specific words mentioned in Point No. 2 of the Central Film Censorship Board’s decision—such as “Badi,” “Raja Saabko ma chalune prasad,” and “Rajako saman”—must be muted in the film.

The court ordered the production company, Shatkon Arts, to comply with the audio modifications while permitting the film’s uninterrupted screening.

Earlier, the court had also refused to grant an interim order, allowing the film to be released from May 8. The dispute began after Roshan Nepali filed a writ petition on April 27, raising objections to certain scenes and dialogues in the film.

The High Court had initially issued a short-term interim stay, but later lifted it after reviewing documents from the censorship board.

Dissatisfied with the High Court’s decision, the petitioner approached the Supreme Court, which referred the matter back to the High Court for further consideration, stating that the decision on interim relief should first be made there.

A fresh petition has also now been filed at the Supreme Court seeking to stop the film’s screening.