The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is the authority in India which is vested with the responsibility to certify the films for exhibition in India.
Central Board of Film Certification
- CBFC headed by the Chairperson comprises up to 25 members and 60 advisory panel members from across India.
- The CEO of CBFC is chiefly in charge of the administrative functioning whereas the regional officers are part of Examining Committees that certify films.
- As and when a filmmaker applies for certification, an Examining Committee is appointed by the Regional Officer.
Categories of Certification
- Unrestricted Public Exhibition (U).
- Parental Guidance for children below age 12 (U/A).
- Adult (A).
- Viewing by specialised groups (S).
Appellate Mechanism
- The CBFC also shares a list of suggested changes in most cases.
- If the applicant is unhappy with the certification or the list of changes, the applicant can apply to the Revising Committee, which is made of the Chairperson and up to nine committee members from both the board and the advisory panel. The committee cannot have a member from the advisory panel who may have already viewed the film. A similar process is followed at this stage, with the final word resting with the Chairperson.
- The last point of appeal is the Appellate Tribunal, an independent body, members of which are appointed by the ministry for three-year terms. Any further dispute can be taken to a court.
Controversial Provision
- The Cinematograph Act, 1952 empowers the CBFC to direct the applicant to carry out such excisions or modifications in the film as it thinks necessary before sanctioning the film for public exhibition or refuse to sanction the film for public exhibition.
- This suggestions provision provides for a large grey area. The interpretations could vary from one CBFC member to the other. As a result, the Certification is often decided on individual inclinations in the Examining Committee, whose members come from various walks of life.
This provision is also criticized as a violation of Article 19 of the Indian Constitution which provides for freedom of speech. This provision has transformed the certification board as censor board.