Patna, Sep 19 The Patna High Court has sought a reply from the Union government on a petition challenging the National Award for Best Book on cinema to a biography of legendary singer and actor Kishor Kumar.
A single-judge bench of Justice Ajit Kumar, on Thursday, sought a counter affidavit within three weeks and fixed October 8 as the next date of hearing in the matter.
The petition has been filed by Anant Prasad Sinha "Anant", who has challenged the award, given in 2024, to 'Kishor Kumar: The Ultimate Biography' and contended that his own book 'Do Gulfamon Ki Teesri Kasam' fit the bill.
The petitioner had claimed that before moving the court he had approached the Information and Broadcasting Ministry contending that choosing the aforementioned biography for the award "violated" its own "guidelines published in the Gazette of India".
The petitioner claimed to have tried to explain to the ministry, without success, that "a biography of Kishor Kumar being considered best book on Indian cinema was like a biography of BR Ambedkar getting a prize for the best book on the Indian Constitution".
