The Bombay High Court has rejected two petitions seeking to halt the release of the film “Match Fixing – The Nation is At Stake,” based on the 2008 Malegaon Blast Case, scheduled for release on November 15.

A division bench of Justice B.P. Colabawalla and Justice S.G. Sundaresan reviewed a petition filed by Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, who argued that the film's release could impact his ongoing trial. Purohit, an accused in the blast case, expressed concern that the film’s portrayal of events might influence the judge and other parties involved.

Another petition raised objections to the film’s alleged negative portrayal of Muslims, claiming the trailer promotes harmful stereotypes by depicting Muslims as violent individuals and inciting hatred against them.

In defense, the film’s producers assured the court that a disclaimer would be included at the beginning, clarifying that the movie is fictional.

Purohit’s counsel requested a delay in the film’s release until after the upcoming elections. However, the bench found no justification to halt the release on this basis, pointing out that the book on which the film is based has been publicly available for years.

The judges questioned why a movie would be deemed more influential on a judicial process than a widely accessible book, ultimately finding the petitions without merit and dismissing them.

**Case Title:** *Lt. Col. Prasad Srikhant Purohit vs NIA & Ors*