On Saturday, Jan 11, The Delhi High Court has restrained from releasing of film ‘Chhapaak’ without giving credit to lawyer Aparna Bhat, who represented survivor Lakshmi in her legal battle.
The restraint will be effective from January 15 for multiplexes and live streaming and for others from January 17.
Aparna Bhat claimed to have represented Agarwal in courts for years and said she had helped with the making of the film. She sought to stop the movie’s release on January 10 after her work was not acknowledged.
The trial court said facts showed that Bhat’s plea was well-founded and it was necessary that her contribution is recognized with the line “Aparna Bhat continues to fight the cases of sexual and physical violence against women” during the screening of the film.
For the uninitiated, the movie is based on activist Laxmi Agarwal’s life after she was attacked with acid at the age of 15 by a 32-year-old man whose marriage proposal she had turned down.