Will take decision on Adityanath movie in two days, CBFC tells HC

In its plea, Samrat Cinematics had questioned the CBFC’s “arbitrary, unreasonable, and unexplained” delay in certifying the movie, its teaser, trailer and promotional song.

MUMBAI: The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on Thursday informed the Bombay high court that it will decide in two days whether to grant a censor certificate to the movie Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi, which is purportedly based on Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath’s life.

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addresses a press conference, at BJP headquarters in Lucknow, Monday, April 15, 2024. (PTI Photo/Nand Kumar)(PTI04_15_2024_000040A) (PTI)

“We will consider the application within two working days and communicate the same [to the producers],” a lawyer for the CBFC informed the division bench of justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale.

The bench accepted the statement and disposed of the petition filed by the makers of the film, Samrat Cinematics India Pvt Ltd. “In view of the statement [by CBFC] that the process will be completed and the application will be decided, nothing survives in the petition,” the bench said.

In its plea, Samrat Cinematics had questioned the CBFC’s “arbitrary, unreasonable, and unexplained” delay in certifying the movie, its teaser, trailer and promotional song. The movie is based on author and political analyst Shantanu Gupta’s 2017 book, The Monk Who Became Chief Minister, according to the producers.

The petitioners informed the court that they had applied to the CBFC for certification on June 5. As per the statutory timelines laid down under the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024, the censor board was supposed to assess the application within a week and, subsequently, refer the movie for screening within the next 15 days. However, no action has been taken even after a month has passed, the plea said. “This is nothing but a ploy to delay the release of the motion picture,” it added.

With over 1,500 cinema screens booked for the movie’s scheduled release on August 1, the producers said they applied for certification again under the CBFC’s “priority scheme” and paid a fee three times higher than the regular fare. Following this, a screening was scheduled for July 7, but the CBFC cancelled it later without any further communication, the plea said, adding that the censor board’s conduct had caused them commercial and reputational damage.

The petitioners also claimed that the CBFC had asked them to acquire a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s office (CMO). They argued that this demand was “erroneous, extraneous and baseless” as there was no such rule under the law.

“It is a matter of fact that the book which forms the foundational inspiration for the motion picture ‘Ajey’, has been officially endorsed by the CMO, Uttar Pradesh,” the petition stated. “This official recognition is a clear testament to the bona fide intentions of the author and the truthful, respectful, and inspiring portrayal of the life and public leadership of a prominent contemporary political figure,” it added.

The court had then criticised the censor board for not passing an order within the prescribed timeline. “You cannot sit on an application, especially when they have paid the priority charges. The application has to be decided,” the bench said.

Following the rap, the CBFC told the high court that the filmmaker’s applications would be decided within two days.

With inputs from agencies