DNA EXCLUSIVE: New bill lets govt take over Censor Board
While the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) courts controversy over beeping out of four words in Suman Ghosh’s documentary on Amartya Sen, the new cinematograph bill may empower the government to take over the certification body under special circumstances.
On Wednesday, the Kolkata regional office of CBFC asked Ghosh to mute the words ‘Gujarat’, ‘Cow’, ‘Hindutva view of India’ and ‘Hindu India’ in the documentary ‘The Argumentative Indian’, which he has refused to implement.
A new provision in the draft of Cinematograph bill — which would replace the Cinematograph Act of 1952 — will allow the central government to take control of the CBFC for a certain period under special if it feels that prevailing “circumstances” are making it necessary to do so in “public interest”.
However, the bill does not elaborate the nature of the circumstances or public interest, leaving it open to interpretation.
As per the draft bill, the government can take control of the CBFC by putting out a notification in the official gazette. The provision also allows the government to extend this period or reconstitute the board.
Under section 6(1) of the earlier Cinematograph Act of 1952, the government only had revisional powers over the decisions of the Board or …read more
