‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ title dropped; no insult to religion, community: Neeraj Pandey in SC

Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey told the Supreme Court of India that the title ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ has been withdrawn. He assured the film does not target any religion, after the court objected and the Delhi High Court recorded similar undertakings

New Delhi: Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court stating that the controversial title of the upcoming film, earlier titled ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’, has been “unequivocally withdrawn” and assuring that the movie does not insult or target any religion or community.

Denying allegations of hurting religious sentiments, the producer submitted: “I state categorically and unequivocally that neither I nor my Production House had any deliberate or malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizens of India.”

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He further asserted that the film “does not insult or attempt to insult any religion, or community or the religious beliefs of any class of citizens of India, whether by words, visual depiction, title, promotional material, electronic means, or otherwise.”

Referring to objections raised after the teaser release on February 3, the affidavit said the promotional material was withdrawn within days.

“After considering the concerns received from members of the public…the deponent withdrew the promotional materials relating to the film on 6 February 2026,” it stated, clarifying that there was “never any intention to demean any religion, caste, or community.” The producer informed the apex court that the disputed title would no longer be used.

“I respectfully submit that the earlier title, ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’, stands unequivocally withdrawn and shall not be used in any manner whatsoever,” the affidavit said. It added that any new title yet to be finalised “shall not be similar to, or evocative of, the earlier title” and would accurately reflect the narrative without giving rise to unintended interpretations. The affidavit clarified that the movie is “a fictional police drama that revolves around a criminal investigation” and “does not portray any caste, religion, community, or sect as corrupt.”

The producer additionally placed on record that a similar writ petition raising identical concerns had earlier been filed before the Delhi High Court. It said the Delhi High Court, in an order passed on February 10, disposed of the petition after recording the statement that the title would be changed, observing that nothing further survived for adjudication.

Pandey prayed that the petition before the Supreme Court be disposed of in similar terms. The affidavit comes after the Supreme Court, on February 12, came down heavily on the filmmakers over the title ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’, observing that freedom of speech and expression cannot be used as a licence to denigrate a section of society.

A Bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan had issued notice to the Centre, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), and the filmmaker, while indicating that the film would not be permitted to release unless the title was changed.

“Freedom of speech and expression does not mean you can portray a community in a bad light,” the apex court had remarked, cautioning that such nomenclature could disturb social harmony at a time when societal tensions already exist.

The PIL before the Supreme Court alleged that the film’s title and storyline promote caste- and religion-based stereotyping and hurt the dignity and religious sentiments of the Brahmin community. It contended that equating the caste identifier “Pandit” with “ghooskhor” (bribe-taker) creates a defamatory stereotype against an identifiable community and violates Articles 14, 19(2), 21, 25 and 51A(e) of the Constitution.

The plea, filed by Atul Mishra, National Organisation Secretary of the Brahman Samaj of India, through advocate Dr Vinod Kumar Tewari, has sought a direction restraining the release or screening of the film in its present form.

In the previous hearing, appearing for filmmaker Pandey, counsel submitted that the trailer had already been removed from social media platforms and that the title of the film was being changed. The Supreme Court had then directed the producer to file an affidavit placing on record the steps taken, including the proposed change of title.