From Courtroom to Cinema: Shah Bano’s Daughter Loses Legal Battle to Stop Film Haq | MP High Court Ruling 2025
FROM COURTROOM TO CINEMA: THE LEGAL FIGHT TO STOP 'HAQ' FAILS In a significant ruling for artistic expression, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has rejected the petition filed by Siddiqua Begum Khan, the daughter of the late Shah Bano Begum, who sought to restrain the release of the upcoming Bollywood film, Haq . The judgment clears the path for the film — which is inspired by the monumental Shah Bano maintenance case of 1985 — to hit theatres as scheduled. BACKGROUND The Shah Bano Begum case (1985) was not just a legal battle for a paltry sum of money; it was a deeply personal tragedy that ignited a political and religious firestorm that fundamentally shook the foundations of secular India. It was the story of a frail, aging woman's desperate fight for dignity against a powerful ex-husband, a rigid religious patriarchy, and ultimately, a government that chose political expediency over her human rights. THE BETRAYAL OF A WIFE Shah Bano, a simple, traditional woman i...