CBI arrests censor board chief in bribery case

Rakesh Kumar, CEO of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), was arrested by the CBI on Monday on corruption charges.

On August 14, the CBI arrested Shripati Mishra, a censor certification agent, and Sarvesh Jaiswal, an advisory panel member on the CBFC board, while accepting a bribe of Rs70,000 to issue a film certificate to a regional language film from Chhattisgarh, Mor Dauki ke Bihav, on behalf of Kumar.

The CBI had on Friday booked Kumar, too, along with Mishra and Jaiswal under bribery charges. But the agency was carrying out searches at his home. On Monday, the CBI placed Kumar under arrest after it was proved he took money to clear films.

CBI joint director Keshav Kumar confirmed Kumar's arrest. He requested other aggrieved parties to come forward and register a complaint with the CBI. Kumar, an Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer, joined as the CBFC as the CEO in January.

The matter came to light when Praveen Mohare, an authorised censor certification agent, registered a complaint with the CBI saying Mishra and Jaiswal had demanded money on behalf of Kumar to give certification to the movie Mor Dauki ke Bihav. The movie needed urgent certification as it was scheduled to be released on August 15.