The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday fixed July 1 for hearing a petition filed by the makers of Punjabi feature film “ChardiKala". They had approached the court alleging delay in the constitution of a Revising Committee by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
As the petition filed by Mad4Films and another petitioner came up before Justice Vikram Aggarwal’s Bench, counsel appearing for the Central Board of Film Certification and others respondents sought a short adjournment to obtain instructions. The court thereafter listed the case for hearing on July 1.
Appearing for the Bench, senior advocate Amit Jhanji along with counsel Harlove Singh Rajput contended on the petitioner’s behalf that the filmmakers had applied for certification of “ChardiKala" before the CBFC on May 12 under the priority category.
The petitioners submitted that on May 26, they were informed that the Examining Committee had declined certification of the film on the grounds that it dealt with a socio-politically sensitive theme, allegedly posed a threat to law and order, and purportedly glorified an assassin.
The petitioners stated that the filmmakers immediately sought a review before the Revising Committee under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024.
However, Revising Committee was not constituted and the matter continued to remain pending at the stage of “Revising Committee Formation".
The petitioners further claimed that representations dated June 3, June 8 and June 18 seeking expeditious consideration had not elicited any response from the authorities. Contending that the delay was arbitrary and contrary to the statutory framework governing film certification, the petitioners asserted that their application had remained pending for over 40 days without any progress.
