SC says after Yatra. Then, another Yatra
Supreme Court okays animated film Mahaprabhu Jagannath for an all‑India release after Rath Yatra; on July 28, the temple administration knocked again and Odisha said it asked CBFC to review the certificate. Telugu version is certified; actual post‑July 28 release isn’t established in the record we have.
The film’s release after July 28 remains unclear in the available record.
The Supreme Court on July 17 permitted Ele Animations’ Mahaprabhu Jagannath to release across India on or after July 28 — after the Rath Yatra — overturning a July 15 Orissa High Court restraint. The bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan said don’t do it during the Yatra; after that, fine. According to the producers, the film holds a U certificate in Hindi, Odia and Telugu.
Petitioners and temple authorities had objected to scenes they said depart from tradition or scripture; that is their allegation, not a court finding. The Court also noted the CBFC has cleared the film and that it extends an existing animated series.
Then July 28 arrived with fresh paperwork: the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration moved the Supreme Court to challenge the release, and the Odisha government told the Court the temple body had approached the CBFC on July 25 seeking to revoke the certificate. The Court said the earlier delay was to keep order while protecting expression. What is not established in the reports: whether CBFC acted on that request, and whether the film actually opened after July 28 — in Telangana or anywhere else.
For Telugu audiences, the version exists on paper; whether it hit a screen is still a question. Unlike the BJP-led Centre’s culture-war pressers, courts deal in dates and orders, and the next one decides what plays where.