The Supreme Court Thursday declined to vacate the stay imposed by the Bombay High Court on the release of the film "Black Friday", based on a book relating to the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai.

While declining to stay the high court judgement, a bench of Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti and Justice G.P. Mathur, however, issued notice to the blast accused, on whose petition the high court restrained the producer from releasing the film.

The Bombay High Court had stayed the release of the film till the judgement in the 1993 bomb blasts case was delivered by the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court.

The high court had passed this order while allowing a petition filed by a group of 1993 blast accused, challenging the release of the film contending that its release before the trial court judgement could prejudice the case.

The high court held that since the film was based on the bomb blast incidents, the producer should wait till the pronouncement of the judgement by the trial court. Only after the trial court delivered its judgement could the film be released. The producer challenged this order contend