Judge Amarjeet Singh delivered the ruling during proceedings attended by federal counsel Sallehuddin Ali, representing the home ministry and the government, as respondents, and lawyer N Surendran, appearing for the film’s director, Khairi Anwar Jailani, and its producer, Tan Meng Kheng.

“This is the court’s decision; the application for judicial review is dismissed,” said Amarjeet.

Speaking to reporters outside the court, Surendran said the defence would file an appeal against today’s decision.

“Unfortunately, the judge has dismissed the judicial review and he has not given any grounds, but the grounds will be forthcoming when we file the appeal later,” said the lawyer.

In their December 2023 application, Khairi, 32, and Tan, 37, claimed that the government’s decision to ban the movie was irrational and in breach of the freedom of expression enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

They further claimed that the decision also affected their livelihood because the movie could not be screened or distributed anywhere in the country.

The home ministry, through the Film Censorship (Prohibition) Order 2023 dated Aug 21, 2023, signed by minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, banned the screening and publicity of Mentega Terbang.

The movie, which was also shown on a video-streaming platform, sparked public outrage for allegedly portraying scenes of conflicting religious beliefs and themes.

In January 2024, Khairi and Tan pleaded not guilty in the magistrates’ court here to a charge of wounding the religious feelings of others through the movie.