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New Delhi: After the animated film Mahaprabhu Jagannath‘s release was put on hold by the Orissa High Court, it has now been allowed to be released in theatres once the Rath Yatra concludes.

The Supreme Court on Friday (July 17) allowed the release of the animated film.

Hearing a plea challenging the Orissa Court order over the film Mahaprabhu Jagannath, the Supreme Court permitted the makers to release the movie on or after July 28, once the Rath Yatra concludes.

The court said, “We permit the film to be exhibited on or after July 28. I know there is Rath Yatra in Bangalore and Ahmedabad also… It’s happening across the country. You release the film any day after the 27th.”

The Bench added, “Everybody will be eager to see the movie now… more box office for you.”

The Bench also observed that the film’s release “will not affect your devotion to your God”, responding to the objections raised over the film.

According to ANI, the Supreme Court also issued notices to the Centre, the Odisha government, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the temple administration, and others on an appeal against the Orissa High Court’s halt in the film.

Appearing for the film producers, Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat said that the film has already received certification from the CBFC and argued that the film was halted on the grounds that certain scenes did not conform to the Skanda Puranas.

He further told the top court that the High Court’s order was uploaded at 9 pm on the eve of the film’s release, and more than 300 theatres have already booked the film. He further added that a stay on the film will cause significant financial loss to the makers, who have invested crores in the project.

The Supreme Court then noted that CBFC had cleared the film and that the animated series, on which the movie is based, had been available on YouTube for nearly two years.

The objections over the film was raised by the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee who urged to postpone the film, alleging that it presents a fictional deity’s life that is inconsistent with Hindu scriptures.

According to their plea, a special screening was organised in the presence of Gajapati Maharaj of Puri and the temple head, where objections were raised.

“The official trailer of the movie, which has been released and is in circulation on social media, portrays a completely fictitious story of Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu. The story is contrary to the sacred narrations in our scriptures, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Dev, the titular king of Puri and chairman of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJITMC), told PTI.

He further added, “I therefore appeal to the producers of this movie, Ele Animations Pvt Ltd of Bhubaneswar, to postpone the release of this movie in theatres or social media platforms until the contents of the movie are authenticated by experts appointed by Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration (SJTA).”