Scroll reported that the Supreme Court rejected film worker Faaiz Anwar Qureshi’s plea for a ban on Pakistani artists working in India on November 28, 2023. The reported outcome was rejection of the request—not an order imposing a ban. The exact Supreme Court order and its reasoning have not been verified here.
What did the plea ask for?
According to Scroll’s November 28, 2023 report, Qureshi sought to prevent Indian citizens, companies and associations from working with Pakistani artists. The request covered actors, singers, musicians, lyricists and technicians.
He also asked the court to direct the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting, External Affairs, and Home Affairs to issue notifications barring engagement of Pakistani artists in India and prohibiting travel visas for them.
What happened in the courts?
Scroll reported that the Bombay High Court dismissed Qureshi’s petition in October 2023. He then appealed to the Supreme Court, which, according to the report, rejected the plea on November 28. The Supreme Court’s order text was not verified, so the available account does not establish the court’s precise procedural wording or rationale.
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What did the Bombay High Court say?
Scroll attributed the following observation to the High Court division bench of Justices Sunil B. Shukre and Firdosh P. Pooniwalla: “In order to be a patriot, one need not be inimical to those from abroad especially, from the neighboring country…Arts, music, sports, culture, dance and so on are the activities which rise above nationalities, cultures and nations and truly bring about peace, tranquility, unity and harmony in nation and between nations.” This is wording reproduced by Scroll, not independently checked against the judgment.
The report says the bench found the petition without merit and described it as a retrograde step for cultural harmony, unity and peace. It also reported that the judges reasoned that resolutions passed by private associations were not statutory and could not be enforced through judicial orders.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What background did the petition cite?
As described by Scroll, the petition referred to resolutions by the All-Indian Cine Workers Association, the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association, and the Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees after attacks on Indian security forces by Jaish-e-Mohamed, including the 2016 Uri attack and the 2019 Pulwama bombing. These were background arguments cited in the petition, not findings by either court.
The report also says Qureshi raised the participation of Pakistan’s cricket team in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India, arguing that it could lead to Pakistani artists being engaged at the expense of Indian counterparts. That, too, was an assertion in the petition as reported by Scroll, not a court finding.
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