Madhya Pradesh HC Dismisses Shah Bano's Daughter's Plea, Gives Green Signal To 'Haq' Release

Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam starrer, Haq, is creating a lot of buzz, and the audience is eagerly awaiting its theatrical release. However, a few days ago, Shah Bano’s legal heirs, including her daughter and grandson, moved to the Madhya Pradesh High Court and filed a plea to stop the film's release. For the unversed, the courtroom drama is scheduled to release in theatres on November 7, 2025. Now, the Madhya Pradesh HC has dismissed the plea.

Madhya Pradesh dismisses Shah Bano's legal heirs' plea to stop Haq from releasing

Madhya Pradesh dismissed the claims brought by Shah Bano's legal heirs. For the unversed, Shah Bano Begum was a Muslim woman who fought the 1985 case against her husband, Mohammed Ahmad Khan, who abandoned her and their five children. The upcoming film, Haq, directed by Suparn Verma and starring Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam, is inspired by the landmark case of Mohd. Ahmed Khan vs. Shah Bano Begum. According to Justice Pranay Verma of the Indore bench, privacy or reputation exists until the person is alive and cannot be inherited by legal heirs like money, land, or other property. The order issued by him can be read as:

"Privacy or reputation earned by a person during his or her lifetime extinguishes with his or her death. It cannot be inherited like a movable or immovable property."

The court also added that, as the film’s disclaimer clearly states that it is a dramatised and fictional version, based on a book and inspired by the Apex Court judgment, it can’t be accused of fabricating anything. Since Haq is inspired by true events but still is a work of fiction, the makers are allowed some creative freedom. Minor changes in storytelling don’t mean there's a fake portrayal. The court’s order can be read:

"Since the disclaimer itself states that the same is dramatisation and is fictional and an adaptation of a book and is inspired by a judgment of the Apex Court, it cannot be said that the contents of the film are fabricated. Since the film is an inspiration and a fiction, some amount of leeway is certainly permissible and merely because the same is done, it cannot be said that there has been any sensationalization or false portrayal."

What were the claims brought up by Shah Bano's legal heirs against Haq?

A few days back, Shah Bano Begum’s daughter, Siddiqua Begum, had filed a petition in the Madhya Pradesh HC’s Indore Bench to stop the release of the courtroom drama, Haq. Her lawyer, Tauseef Warsi, said the makers used Shah Bano’s name and life story without the family’s consent. He also argued that, since the film is based on the landmark M.A. Khan vs Shah Bano Begum case, in which Shah Bano fought and won the right to maintenance, it was necessary to obtain permission before portraying her on-screen, as it involves the right to privacy.

Shah Bano’s grandson, Jubair Ahmad Khan, also objected to the film’s release, saying the family only discovered it after the teaser came out. He claimed that the film’s teaser distorted several facts and gave their private family matter a commercial angle. He was quoted as saying:

"When the teaser was released, we learned that a movie had been made about my grandmother. A lot of facts in the teaser are distorted. It is our private matter that has been given a commercial angle. They should have taken our permission. The common people will watch the movie and think it shows true events."

Are you excited to watch the film, Haq, starring Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam? Let us know.

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