NEW DELHI: The regional office of the Censor Board for Film Certification (CBFC) has taken strong exception to the manner in which video news magazines, HTV in particular, have been trying to circumvent the censors by rushing to the press.
Those portions that are censored are often shown to the press and widely publicized defeating the very purpose of censorship.
Irked by HT V’s media blitzkrieg on the censored Kashmir story on alleged army atrocities on civilians, the regional officer of CBFC has almost served a show-cause notice on the HTV producer Karan Thapar.
The censored cassette was shown to a select audience which included many foreign journalists. Transcripts of the script were distributed among the journalists.
The CBFC has pointed out that the showing of uncertified films (the term includes video films) or the showing of portions cut from the films to the public is an offence punishable under the Cinematograph Act 1952, The minimum punishment for an offence relating to a video-film is imprisonment for three months plus a fine of Rs.20,000.
Instead of rushing to the press if the video news magazines want, under the Cinematograph Act 1952, they can ask for a revising committee and if the decision of this committee is not satisfactory they can appeal to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, the CBFC has pointed out.
The board and the appellate tribunal, it has been pointed out, are quasi-judicial bodies created under the Cinematograph Act, 1952. Any criticism of their views when the films are pending with them and when no final decision has been taken by them creates an unhealthy atmosphere and is likely to put under pressure on the members of the board and the tribunal in the discharge of their duties in an objective manner.
In its letter to HTV, the CBFC has quoted from the judgment of Justice R.N.Aggarwal, former chairman of the tribunal, in the appeal relating to the video film Tadak Dam Dam by Ramesh Sharma.
“I wish to observe that during the past few days I have been reading articles appearing in various newspapers regarding the film in question…there is a systematic attempt to criticize the members of the Censor Board. Even when the appeal is pending before the tribunal, the articles are appearing in various newspapers. This prejudices the mind of the members”.
Aggarwal had restrained the critics and referred to an article in one of the papers which read “If, however, the Board has found any vulgarity in the video film, then it either shows that it (the Board) has not really seen the film or that it does not know what it is talking about”. This, Aggarwal has pointed out, is not legitimate criticism,
He asked video newsmagazines to desist from showing certified films or portions objected to by the Board to members of the public, before the process of certification is over,
Tadak Dam Dam was still considered a light-hearted satire which did not have the same impact as the HTV production on alleged atrocities on civilians.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 29, 1991
