House panel grills Ministry on “super censorship” clause

It allows government to order recertification for a film already certified by CBFC

The Standing Committee on Information and Technology headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, at a meeting on Tuesday, grilled the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on the “super censorship” clause introduced in the draft Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2021. The committee members, according to sources, asked the Ministry to explain the “reasons” and “motivation” for introducing the provision which allows the government to order recertification for a film already certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). This was the first meeting of the Parliamentary Panel on the bill. The Ministry officials, sources said, were at pains to explain. “They claimed that the bill has been misunderstood and that the Ministry itself will have no powers to censor any film. The bill only allows the Ministry to return the film for recertification,” one of the members said on condition of anonymity. Ministry officials also said that the clause would only be invoked if the content of a film impinged on security and integrity of the nation.