Top sources in the ministry said the CBFC can continue to "re-certify" films for TV, since it is akin to certifying fresh films.
The Information & Broadcasting (I&B) ministry will allow the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to continue 're-certification' of films of TV, a move that was recently flagged by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in a report.
Top sources in the ministry said the CBFC can continue to "re-certify" films for TV, since it is akin to certifying fresh films.
"Any film which has to be shown on TV, should have a UA or U category, since it is viewed by a huge variety of audience. So when a producer makes the necessary cuts in a film for it to be shown on TV, it no longer remains the same film. It becomes a fresh film which needs a certification from CBFC before public exhibition," a senior official from the I&B ministry said.
The official added that the Cinematograph rules say that every film has to be certified by the CBFC before public exhibition.
The CAG in its report has said there is no provision in the Cinematograph Act, 1952, regarding the process of conversion of films from 'A' to 'UA/U' for TV. The CAG report has also said that the CBFC has converted 172 'A' category certified films into 'UA' category and 166 films of 'UA' category to 'U' category films during 2012-15. The report was tabled in the Parliament on August 2.
The I&B ministry had replied saying that there is no specific provision which prohibits recertification of films already certified. The auditor said it was not tenable.
Last year, the CBFC had sought a clarification from the I&B ministry asking what should be its stand in case of re-certification of films for TV in the absence of specific provisions about it in the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
"For a few months during that period, we had stopped accepting applications for re-certification of films because there was no clarity on the matter," a CBFC official said.
"After the ministry replied around October last year, allowing us to proceed with the process, we started accepting applications for changing certifications for films for TV," the official said, adding that the CBFC has re-certifying of films for TV for years.
However, for such films, the screening is held only before the examining committee, which gives out a final decision. No revising committee is constituted for the process.
CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani told dna even though there is no separate "provision" in the act, mentioning "re-certification", the CBFC will continue to accept such applications unless there are contrary orders in this regard from the I&B ministry.
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