Bombay HC Directs CBFC to Respond to Filmmakers' Plea

Mumbai, Jul 15 (PTI) — The Bombay High Court has asked the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to respond to a petition from the makers of a movie reportedly inspired by the life of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, accusing the board of delaying the film’s certification.

The bench, comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale, emphasized that the CBFC is legally bound to issue certifications within the timeline mandated by law, and cannot shirk this responsibility.

Samrat Cinematics, in its plea to the High Court, challenged the CBFC's "arbitrary, unreasonable, and unexplained" lag in processing the certification of its film "Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi," along with its teaser, trailer, and promotional song.

This film, which is inspired by the book 'The Monk Who Became Chief Minister', was slated for theatrical release on August 1.

The plea was addressed in court on Tuesday, where a CBFC official requested time to hire legal representation.

The court granted the request and issued notice to the CBFC, with the matter scheduled for a hearing on July 17.

Representing the makers, counsel Ravi Kadam and advocates Satatya Anand and Nikhil Aradhe alleged that the CBFC has yet to schedule a screening of the movie, teaser, and promotional song.

The plea further argued that the CBFC has failed to meet the statutory deadlines set by the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024.

The filmmakers also criticized the CBFC's "erroneous, extraneous and baseless" demand for a No Objection Certificate from the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's Office, stating that such a requirement does not exist in law.

The petition outlines that the application for the film’s certification was first submitted on June 5, 2025.

According to Rule 37 of the Certification Rules, the CBFC is supposed to review applications within seven days and refer the film for screening within 15 days. Despite these rules, no action was taken for nearly a month.

On July 3, the petitioners reapplied under the 'priority scheme’ and paid three times the standard fee as per Rule 33(2), following CBFC officials' advice.

A screening was initially scheduled for July 7 but was unexpectedly canceled the day before without any explanation.

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