The Bombay High Court today cleared the release of movie ‘Udta Punjab’, whose makers were locked in a dispute with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). A division bench of the court directed the CBFC to certify the film within 48 hours to enable the makers to release it on its schedule this Friday.
The court however directed the makers of the film to delete one scene and to display a revised disclaimer. The bench refused to stay its order on a plea made by CBFC counsel to enable the board to appeal against it in the Supreme Court, saying the filmmakers have already spent a lot on the movie, and its promotion and distribution.
The court, which was hearing a petition filed by Anurag Kashyap’s Phantom Films challenging the CBFC order, came down heavily on the board for curbing a creative person’s work. The court further noted that the CBFC is not empowered by law to censor films, as the word censor is not included in the Cinematograph Act.