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2 clusters · 20 sources · 3 days · First seen · Last updated

India CBFC restructuring and guideline revisions

Overview

The Indian government has reconstituted the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with a new 18-member panel for a three-year term. This restructuring coincided with the board intervening to halt a campus screening of the documentary ‘Prisoner No. 626710 is Present’ at IIIT Hyderabad, which focuses on jailed activist Umar Khalid. The CBFC maintained that exhibiting uncertified films violates the Cinematograph Act.

Parallel to these changes, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has replaced the 1991 film certification framework with revised guidelines. The new rules mandate specific anti-drug warnings for films depicting narcotic substances and introduce age-based UA certification markers. The updated framework also prohibits content promoting “communal, obscurantist, anti-scientific or anti-national attitudes” and content that might strain relations with foreign states. These revisions have faced social media backlash from critics concerned about potential bias and the expansion of the board’s role into censorship.

Entities

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting · Central Board of Film Certification · Umar Khalid · Pankaj Tripathi · International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad

Timeline

  1. [CULTURE] 4 sources
    CBFC revises India film certification guidelines after 35 years

    India's CBFC has updated its film certification guidelines for the first time in 35 years, introducing mandatory anti-drug warnings and new content restrictions, sparking social media debate.

  2. [CULTURE] 16 sources
    CBFC reconstitutes board and halts Umar Khalid documentary screening

    India's CBFC has reconstituted its 18-member board with industry figures like Preity Zinta and Suniel Shetty, while also blocking an uncertified documentary screening at IIIT Hyderabad.

Sources

agniban.com · businessnewsthisweek.com · businessnewsweek.in · businesstoday.in · deccanchronicle.com · glamsham.com · gulfnews.com · in.mashable.com · indianbroadcastingworld.com · indiantelevision.com · latestly.com · madhyamamonline.com · newsable.asianetnews.com · odishabytes.com · pragativadi.com · thecsrjournal.in · thenewsminute.com · theobserverpost.com · thequint.com · yespunjab.com