The Supreme Court disposed of the plea against Neeraj Pandey’s Ghooskhor Pandat on Thursday after the filmmaker withdrew the title and other promotional content related to the upcoming Netflix film.

A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan disposed of the plea after recording Pandey’s affidavit, noting that it is expected to bring the controversy to a close in all respects.

In his affidavit, Pandey stated that while the new title for the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer has not been finalised, it will be different from the previous one.

“While the new title has not yet been finalised, I undertake that any title that may hereafter be identified and adopted shall not be similar to, or evocative of, the earlier title in respect of which objections were raised, and shall accurately reflect the narrative.”

The observations came while the court was hearing a plea alleging that the film promotes caste and religion-based stereotyping and poses a threat to public order, communal harmony and constitutional values.

The plea sought an immediate stay on the film’s release and streaming.

The film’s announcement on February 3 led to backlash on social media, with many calling the title “casteist” and “offensive”. The controversy also led to an FIR with Hazratganj police station in Uttar Pradesh, while the NHRC issued a notice to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting following a complaint, as per PTI.

The controversy has also been examined by the Delhi High Court, which earlier heard a petition seeking a stay on the release and streaming of the Netflix film. During those proceedings, Netflix informed the court that the makers were willing to change the title and had already removed all promotional material from social media.

Recording Netflix’s submission, the High Court observed that no further orders were required and treated the matter as settled, declining to halt the release at that stage.

Ghooshkhor Pandat is directed by Ritesh Shah, who has co-written the story with Pandey, and is produced under Pandey’s banner, Friday Filmworks.

Featuring Bajpayee in the lead role, the crime thriller follows Ajay Dikshit, also known as Pandat, a corrupt police officer whose plans for a lucrative and eventful night are derailed when he becomes entangled in a global conspiracy unfolding in Delhi.