Panel to review censor mandate

After Kamal Hasan’s Vishwaroopam faced ban from the Tamil Nadu government, the government on Monday constituted a panel to examine issues of certification under the Cinematograph Act 1952 to ensure than films cleared by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) do not get disrupted thereafter.

The committee will be chaired by Mukul Mudgal, retired Chief Justice, high court of Punjab and Haryana, the ministry of information & broadcasting (I&B) said in a press statement.

The 8 member panel would also have Lalit Bhasin, chairperson, Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, Sharmila Tagore, former chairperson, CBFC and Javed Akhtar along with others, it added.  

According to the ministry, the committee has been asked to review the mandate and functioning of central board of film certification (CBFC) and recommend measures including statutory changes to enable CBFC to deal with contemporary requirements of certification and increased transparency/efficiency.

“Such issues, inter alia, may include — the process of certification under the Act and rules, including the mechanism followed by examining and revising committees. Categories of certification, existing and proposed, under the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2013 and whether there is a requirement of special categories of certification for the purposes of broadcasting on television channels and radio stations,” I&B ministry said.

The committee will also suggest more effective legal remedies and penal provisions in the Act, particularly with reference to making unlawful copies, camera recording in cinema halls, interpolation/insertion of clips after certification and such similar issues.

“TOR’s of committee on cinematographic framework give latitude to review every aspect of the certification process holistically and ensure integrity,” I&B minister Manish Tewari said in a tweet.