 "Karsandas Mulji: Who was the journalist, praised by Modi, at the centre of Netflix's 'Maharaj' row?")
The controversy over the Netflix movie Maharaj has brought a historic colonial-era legal case to the spotlight.
The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday extended its interim stay on the movie marking the debut of Aamir Khan’s son Junaid by one day.
This court had temporarily stayed the release of the film after a petition was filed by followers of the Vaishnavite Pustimargi sect who identify as devotees of Lord Krishna.
In the film, which is based on the Maharaj libel case of 1862, Junaid Khan is playing the role of Karsandas Mulji.
Bollywood actors Jaideep Ahlawat, Sharvari Wagh and Shalini Pandey are also co-starting in the Yash Raj Films production.
A single judge bench of Justice Sangeeta Vishen heard the arguments from respondents, Netflix and Yash Raj Films, and the petitioners.
It then posted the matter for further hearing on Wednesday.
The court said that the interim stay on the release of the movie will continue till Wednesday.
But what do we know about Mulji and the case?
Let’s take a closer look:
Who was Karsandas Mulji?
Karsandas Mulji was a Gujarati journalist, social reformer and author who challenged the orthodoxies of the 19th Century.
Born in Bombay in 1832, he was brought up by his aunt after his mother’s death when he was just seven.
In 1853, Mulji went to study at Elphinstone Institution (later Elphinstone College). His classmates included notable Gujarati reformists like poet Narmad and educationist Mahipatram Neelkanth, as per ThePrint report.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAccording to Hindustan Times (HT), at Elphinstone College, Mulji came across Western liberal thought and the ideas of the Indian Renaissance.
His stint as a journalist began in 1851 when he started writing for Rast Goftar (Truth Teller), an Anglo-Gujarati newspaper founded by Dadabhai Naoroji, ThePrint reported.
Mulji, who was a man of independent thought, often found himself in trouble for his views. In 1853, he participated in a literary competition, endorsing widow remarriage. When his elderly aunt got to know about this, she evicted him from her house.
He won the Kellar scholarship and took a job as a schoolteacher to support himself and his family, as per HT.
Mulji launched his own magazine, Satyaprakash, in 1855. He boldly questioned orthodox traditions and societal issues in his work.
He also co-founded Streebodh, a women’s magazine, in 1857. Mulji penned his travels to England in one of his books, reported ThePrint.
The 1862 Maharaja Libel Case
It was a piece exposing the exploitation of female devotees by religious leaders that landed
Mulji in legal trouble. He published an article titled Hinduono Asal Dharma ane Haalna Pakhandi Mato (The Primitive Religion of the Hindus and the Present Heterodox Opinions) on 21 September 1961 in his Gujarati weekly newspaper Satyaprakash, irking many priests.
The journalist criticised the practices within the Vallabhacharya sect of Hinduism, focusing on the alleged immoral conduct of its spiritual leaders, known as the Maharajs, reported HT.
The article accused the Maharajs of engaging in sexual relations with female devotees, many of whom were married. He described the behaviour of these religious leaders as “adulterous” and accused them of “defiling the wives and daughters of their devotees,” noted HT.
As per ThePrint, Mulji’s article also alleged that the book of Gokulnath, the grandson of Vallabhacharya – the founder of the Pushtimarg sect of Vaishnavism, promoted immorality.
It was this that prompted Jadunath Maharaj, a young priest from Surat, who was in Bombay at the time to file a libel case in the Bombay court.
The Rs 50,000 defamation suit was filed against Mulji, who was himself a Vaishnav, and the paper’s publisher, Nanabhai Ranina.
Dubbed the “greatest trial of modern times since the trial of Warren Hastings”, the libel case started on 25 January 1862, attracting large crowds to the Supreme Court of Bombay.
As HT noted, the case was not “just a personal defence” for the journalist but to put the “very institutions of religious authority on trial.”
After listening to testimonies of witnesses from both sides during the trial, the court eventually dismissed the defamation suit.
In his judgement in April of that year, Justice Joseph Arnould wrote, “It is not a question of theology that has been before us! It is a question of morality. The principle for which the defendant and his witnesses have been contending is simply this: That what is morally wrong cannot be theologically right.”
The court also awarded Rs 11,500 to Mulji, whose total legal expenses amounted to Rs 14,000, reported ThePrint.
As Achyit Yajnik and Makrand Mehta mentioned in their booklet titled Karsandas Mulji: Jeevan-nondh, the case set a precedent that everyone, including priests, is equal under the law.
Modi’s praise for Karsandas Mulji
Narendra Modi, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, showered praise on Karsandas Mulji, who died in 1871.
In a blog on Independence Day in 2010 titled Saluting Freedom & Truth, Modi wrote, “Social reformist and journalist Karsandas Mulji’s newspaper too was titled “Satya-Prakash”.
“Gujarat has accepted the path of truth as its weapon to fight all forms of injustice, neglect and against those who try to defame us.”
He then added, “Saanch ne ave na Aanch” (There is no ignominy in speaking the truth). “Satya Chhapre Chadi ne Pokarshe” (Truth will always emerge). “Satya No Jay” (Truth always triumphs). This only is our faith.”
Row over Maharaj’s release
The Netflix film Maharaj has courted controversy.
As per Indian Express, the petitioners claim the excerpts of the movie contain “scandalous and defamatory language, which affects the Pustimargi sect as a whole” and that the movie “is likely to incite feelings of hatred and violence against the Pustimargi sect, which would be in breach of code of ethics under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.”
The Gujarat High Court last week temporarily suspended the release of the movie and issued notices to Yash Raj Films, Netflix , the Central Board of Certification and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
There were also social media calls to ‘Boycott Netflix’ and ‘Ban Maharaj Film’, with users claiming the film “hurts” religious sentiments.
Gujarati author Saurabh Shah from whose book the movie has been adapted from has urged people to watch the Netflix film first. He stressed that the movie was not against the ‘Sanatan’ and the ‘Vaishnav’ community.
Shah said that ‘Maharaj’ is such a story that should make Hindus “proud”.
With inputs from agencies
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