INDIA: HC quashes ban on Da Vinci Code

Hyderabad --- The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday quashed the ban on the film The Da Vinci Code, holding the state government's June 1 order as "a highly irrational restriction on freedom of speech and expression." Petitioners Sony Entertainment and the distributor Lakshmi Enterprises were also awarded costs of Rs 10,000 each. Justice G Raghuram who delivered the order said the government had imposed the ban only because some individuals and organisations had demanded it. It had not assessed the likely consequences of its decision and the authorities had not even bothered to see the film to arrive at an informed opinion, as is required under the law. [More]