Amol Palekar

Yesterday the 1952 Cinematograph Act came under scrutiny yet again as the Supreme Court asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to respond to a plea filed by actor-filmmaker Amol Palekar, questioning censorship of movies by the CBFC. Referring to what he termed as "pre-censorship" of films in his writ petition two weeks ago, the veteran argued that decisions to make cuts and deny certifications were arbitrary in nature. The laws, he said, have not been questioned in 47 years and have failed to keep up with the digital era.