Bombay HC refuses to direct CBFC to issue certificate to Kangana Ranaut-starrer – India TV

Bollywood actor and Lok Sabha Member from Mandi district Himachal Pradesh, Kangana Ranaut will have to wait more for the certificate of her film ‘Emergency’. For the unversed, the makers of the film have appealed in the Bombay High Court demanding a certification for their film. The Bombay HC said in its verdict that it cannot direct the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) to award the certificate since it would contradict the MP High Court judgment. The MP court instructed the CBFC to hear the representations of Sikh groups that had filed petitions before it. The court requests that the CBFC make its ruling by September 18, with the next hearing scheduled for September 19.

Here’s what the bench said

Hearing an urgent plea by Zee Entertainment for the release of Kangana Ranaut’s film ‘Emergency’, the Bombay High Court underlined Wednesday that it had to honour the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to investigate the film’s objections. “How can these groups (Sikh groups) know that a film is upsetting to some people without watching it? Maybe it was based on a trailer. Apart from that, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has instructed the CBFC to address the concerns. If we (the Bombay High Court) direct them to issue a certificate, we will be asking them to violate another High Court’s judgment. “We must comply with the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order,” the court stated.

The court was hearing a petition by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, the film’s co-producers, for a tangible copy of the censor certificate from the CBFC so that the picture may be released on September 6. “If it is (release of film) delayed by one week, it is not going to make any difference,” said the court. Chief Justice of India (CJI) led bench of the Supreme Court has observed in its ruling that if there is going to be a law and order situation, it is the responsibility of the machinery and not CBFC. “You should have yelled from the rooftop before the MP High Court that the film is already certified (as per system-generated email) and there is no need to examine objections,” said the bench. 

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