(a) whether the Government proposes to amend the Cinematography Act, 1952 in any way and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) formed under the Act is devoid of independence especially with regards to the CBFC members being appointed by the Government;
(c) if so, the details thereof; and
(d) the number of films which have received cuts by the CBFC under Section 5B of the Act?
THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
[COL RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE (Retd.)]:
(a): Yes Madam. In order to curb piracy of films, the Government has finalized to introduce a Cinematograph Amendment Bill, 2019 to impose strict penalties against unauthorized duplication of films.
(b) & (c): No Madam. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has been given adequate independence to performs the statutory function of certifying films for public exhibition. The functioning of the Board is well laid out under the Cinematograph Act and Rules and the Board alone takes it decision within its jurisdiction.
The persons appointed as Members are eminent personalities from different spheres like education, arts, film, social sciences, law, etc. in accordance with Section 3(1) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 read with rule 3 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983.
(d): In accordance with the established Rules and Procedure defined under Cinematograph Act, 1952 read along with the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983 and the Central Government guidelines of 1991, CBFC issues certification under categories U, UA, A and S, as applicable. CBFC has imposed cuts under Section 5B of the Cinematograph Act in respect of total of 4815 films [1215 (U); 3009 (UA); 590 (A) and 01 (S)] during 1st April, 2017 to 31st December, 2018.
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