Thiruvananthapuram | Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday welcomed the Kerala High Court staying the release of the film "The Kerala Story 2- Goes Beyond", alleging that it was made with the intention of tarnishing the state's communal harmony and social fabric.

In a Facebook post, the Chief Minister said the court's intervention against what he described as a false propaganda attempt to defame Kerala was commendable.

He also congratulated the petitioners who moved the court, appreciating their timely legal intervention.

Vijayan said that under the guise of freedom of expression, attempts to insult an entire state and create polarisation cannot be accepted in a democratic society.

At a time when conscious efforts are being made to portray Kerala as a land of extremists, every individual has a responsibility to uphold the truth with wisdom, he said.

Seeking legal remedies against productions that spread hatred is a model action, the CM said, calling upon people to unite against forces attempting to undermine Kerala's secular and fraternal social fabric.

The Kerala High Court single bench had stayed the release of the film "The Kerala Story- 2 Goes Beyond" on Thursday.

However, the producer, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, approached the Division Bench of the HC with an appeal, which was heard on Thursday night, and a verdict is expected on Friday.