38.6c New Delhi, India, Friday, October 31, 2025
Top Stories Supreme Court
Political NEWS Legislative Corner Celebstreet International Videos
Subscribe Contact Us
close
Judiciary

You Will Not Decide What One Wants To Watch: Bombay High Court To CBFC

By LawStreet News Network      08 July, 2019 12:00 AM      0 Comments

The Bombay High Court rapped the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on July 5, 2019, while hearing a petition filed by the Childrens Film Society (CFS), India, seeking directions to the CBFC tribunal to hear its plea to issue universal certificate to its film Chidiakhana.

A Division Bench of Justices S.C. Dharmadhikari and Gautam Patel has strongly rebuked the board when it was informed that the censor board had refused to issue a universal (U) certificate to a childrens film.

In January, the board asked CFS to mute a word from a scene in the movie and also delete a particular scene from the film. The society agreed to make the said changes in June and the court asked CBFC for a response thereafter, to which the CBFC submitted that the film showed violence and discrimination against a community, hence the content mandates a U/A certificate.

A U/A certificate requires adult supervision of kids below the age of 12 in order to be able to watch the film.

Hearing the petition, the Bench said the CBFC, by asking for such scenes to be deleted in films, was pretending that these issues do not exist.

Are you (CBFC) ostriches? Put your head in the sand and pretend something does not exist, Justice Patel said.

The CBFC submitted before the court that it has laid down certain conditions and if those are fulfilled then the film will be given U/A certificate.

Irked with this, the court asked how can the board say that it will give U/A certificate irrespective of whether the scene and abusive word is deleted.

We actually wonder if the CBFC officials have children of their own. You (CBFC) are a certification board and not a censor board. You will not decide what one wants to watch and see, Justice Patel said.

Nobody has given you (CBFC) the intellectual morality and authority to decide what one wants to watch and see, he added.

Further, the Bench said that the world was changing and so was the art of storytelling.

Looks like we may have to redefine your (CBFC) role entirely. You (CBFC) are forming an opinion that the whole population is infantile and imbecile and you are the only one with an iota of intelligence to decide for everyone, Justice Patel said.

The court observed when a childrens film shows or speaks about issues like racism, discrimination, child labour and drug abuse, then it is better to use the films to explain these issues to children.

How else does one show and explain these issues to a child? Is it not better to show such films to the child and explain that this is what happens and this is wrong, Justice Patel said.

The Bench asked the CBFCs Regional Officer to file an affidavit elaborating and outlining the boards policy while certifying childrens films.

It has posted the petition for further hearing on August 5, 2019.



Share this article:

User Avatar
About:


Leave a feedback about this
TRENDING NEWS

sc-hints-at-pan-india-guidelines-on-timeline-to-frame-charges
Trending Judiciary
SC hints at pan-India guidelines on timeline to frame charges

SC mulls pan-India guidelines to curb delays in framing charges; notes cases where charges aren’t framed even after years despite BNSS mandate of 60 days.

30 October, 2025 12:22 PM
limitation-for-continuous-breach-runs-only-till-contract-expiry-kerala-hc-clarifies
Trending Judiciary
Limitation for Continuous Breach Runs Only Till Contract Expiry: Kerala High Court Clarifies [Read Judgment]

Kerala HC clarifies that for continuous breach of contract, limitation under Article 55 starts when breach ceases; once contract ends, breach cannot continue.

30 October, 2025 01:37 PM

TOP STORIES

sc-quashes-uapa-arrests-holds-remand-courts-explanation-cannot-replace-written-grounds-of-arrest
Trending Judiciary
SC Quashes UAPA Arrests, Holds Remand Court’s Explanation Cannot Replace Written Grounds Of Arrest [Read Order]

Supreme Court quashes UAPA arrests, ruling that remand court’s explanation cannot substitute the mandatory written grounds of arrest.

25 October, 2025 11:10 AM
ngt-orders-probe-into-illegal-tree-felling-in-delhis-civil-lines-directs-action-within-three-months
Trending Environment
NGT Orders Probe into Illegal Tree Felling in Delhi’s Civil Lines, Directs Action Within Three Months [Read Order]

NGT directs Tree Officer to probe illegal tree felling in Delhi’s Civil Lines and take action under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994.

25 October, 2025 11:28 AM
gauhati-hc-quashes-fir-against-cnn-news18-anchor-akansha-swarup-over-kamakhya-temple-remarks
Trending CelebStreet
Gauhati HC Quashes FIR Against CNN-News18 Anchor Akansha Swarup Over Kamakhya Temple Remarks [Read Order]

Gauhati HC quashes FIR against CNN-News18 anchor Akansha Swarup, ruling her Kamakhya Temple remarks were careless but lacked malicious intent.

25 October, 2025 11:43 AM
delhi-hc-upholds-divorce-on-cruelty-grounds-denies-alimony-to-financially-independent-wife
Trending Judiciary
Delhi HC Upholds Divorce On Cruelty Grounds, Denies Alimony To Financially Independent Wife [Read Judgment]

Delhi HC upholds divorce on cruelty grounds, denies alimony to IRTS officer wife, ruling that alimony is for need-based justice, not enrichment.

25 October, 2025 12:10 PM

ADVERTISEMENT


Join Group

Signup for Our Newsletter

Get Exclusive access to members only content by email