India, June 9 -- The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea by a Karnataka theatre association seeking an immediate hearing and protection to screen actor Kamal Haasan's film Thug Life, which has not been released in the state following a controversy over the actor's remarks on the Kannada language.

A bench of justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan declined to intervene, asking the association to approach the high court instead. "Install fire extinguishers," remarked the bench, after the lawyer claimed "fringe elements" in Karnataka had threatened to set theatres on fire if the film was screened.

The controversy originates from a comment made by Haasan at the audio launch of Thug Life in Chennai on May 24, where he rep...