The story so far: The Rajya Sabha on Thursday cleared the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023 that introduces new age-based certification for films, separate certification for the exhibition of films on television and “other media,” and provides for stringent provisions to penalise piracy with a jail term and fine.
The draft legislation has come a long way from the first version of the Bill was tabled in the Upper House in February 2019. In its present form, the Bill seeks to amend the Cinematograph Act, 1952 which empowers the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to make cuts in films and clear them for exhibition in cinemas. It was introduced in Rajya Sabha by Information & Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur last week.
The Bill also formalises the Supreme Court ruling in K.M. Shankarappa vs. Union of India, which states that the Centre cannot exercise revisional powers on films already certified by the CBFC. “The proposed amendments would make the certification process more effective, in tune with the present times, and comprehensively curb the menace of film piracy, and thus help in faster growth of the film industry and boost job creation in the sector,” reads the text of the Bill.
