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Hindustan Times
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
HC directs CBFC to provide grounds for rejection of certification to ‘Ajey'
MUMBAI: The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on Thursday told the Bombay high court that it had denied certification to 'Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi', Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath's alleged biopic. The court responded by asking the CBFC to explain what they found objectionable so that the film can be edited accordingly. Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addresses a press conference, at BJP headquarters in Lucknow, Monday, April 15, 2024. (PTI Photo/Nand Kumar)(PTI04_15_2024_000040A) (PTI) The court's order directed the CBFC's revisional committee to inform the filmmakers about the objectionable scenes or dialogues by August 11 and the CBFC to decide on certification by August 13. The division bench of justices Revati Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale told the CBFC, 'You need to give them details of what you find so objectionable in the movie so that they can make changes.' The CBCF said that after the movie was screened on Wednesday, they found some scenes and dialogues to be derogatory in nature. Advocate AS Khandeparkar, representing the CBFC, added that although the movie claims it is a work of fiction, it is actually a biopic of an incumbent chief minister and follows the timeline and events of his life. Khandeparkar said that despite the movie being based on Shantanu Gupta's 2017 biography of Adityanath called 'The Monk Who Became Chief Minister', the movie would have a larger impact because of the depiction of dialogues and scenes. 'The scenes degrading women are not properly presented and the dialogues are somewhat defamatory,' he said and added that the CBFC's decision came after a detailed discussion about all aspects of the movie. After CBFC's decision, the film's producers Samrat Cinematics India Pvt Ltd filed a petition challenging the refusal to certify the film. The petitioners told the court that they had first applied for certification on June 5. Under the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024, the board must process such applications within a week and schedule a screening within the next 15 days. The petitioners said that more than a month had passed without any communication from the CBFC. Advocate Aseem Naphade, representing the filmmakers, said that the reasons behind the rejection were unclear. 'Under the certification rule, the CBFC has the power to give directions for modifications,' he said, asking the board to inform the filmmakers about problematic scenes. 'I will go to the revising committee. Let them expedite the process of certification', Naphade added. Naphade told the court that the CBFC's CEO had asked the filmmakers to meet Adityanath and get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from him. The CBFC allegedly claimed it would then certify their film. The bench has directed the filmmakers to meet the revision committee by August 8. The court directed the CBCF to give proper reasoning within ten days, and said that as per the rules the board had to inform the filmmakers of the reasons, the scenes and the dialogues which are objectionable. Noting that the board had failed to do so, the court said, 'Over 500 people are a part of this film and their livelihood depends on this. There are so many films on constitutional authorities. Do you call these reasons? Show us the guidelines.'
The Hill
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
New study offers legislative guidance on 7 key issues facing Black community
A new study offers lawmakers a roadmap for addressing key issues affecting Black communities, including voting rights, economic opportunity and education equity. The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released Forward Together: Black Policy Playbook for an Equitable America on Monday. The playbook is designed to serve as a 'resource' for lawmakers, the organizations noted, and highlight that 'when Black people make progress, all Americans benefit.' 'Together, we are equipping lawmakers, advocates, and changemakers with the tools they need to enact policies that move us closer to equity and justice for all,' said Nicole Austin-Hillery, president and CEO of the CBCF. In total, the playbook offers policy recommendations on seven areas lawmakers 'can continue to advocate and fight for' to create 'an America where inequities are overcome and where everyone has an equal opportunity to pursue and achieve success and dignity.' The areas include: voting rights and civic engagement; economic opportunity and advancement; workforce; education; health care; criminal legal system reform; and technology and telecommunications policies. 'African Americans continue to face a myriad of systemic issues in the United States that are strategically outlined in this much-needed policy playbook,' said Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, president of the Joint Center. Each section offers an in-depth explanation of how current policies exacerbate racial disparities and offers action legislators can take to correct the disparities. For example, under Voting Rights and Civic Engagement, the study calls for addressing voter ID laws, which disproportionately affect Black Americans and restrict their right to vote. The study recommends expanding acceptable forms of ID for voting to include student IDs, employee IDs, and utility bills. It also recommends making voter rolls publicly accessible so voters can easily verify their registration status online and for the federal government to establish standards and guidelines for voter roll maintenance to ensure uniformity and fairness across states. The study also details the impact of the racial wealth gap and urges lawmakers to address some of the gap's driving factors, such as home ownership barriers. The study recommends legislators increase access to fair and affordable housing through investments in public housing, rental assistance and housing development and repair. The study also calls for lawmakers to oppose the privatisation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and ensure that companies using AI comply with existing civil rights and consumer protection laws in order to maintain fair lending. The study emphasized that though the seven areas listed do not offer full coverage of every issue that is important for Black equality, they do represent key areas for Black advancement. 'This is a pivotal moment for Black Americans,' said Jonathan Cox, PhD, vice president of the Center for Policy Analysis and Research at CBCF. 'History has shown us that progress is often met with resistance. However, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that Black communities have the resources, rights, and opportunities to thrive.' The organizations note that they do not expect all of their policy recommendations to pass, particularly under the current White House administration. The CBCF and the Joint Center said the Trump-Vance White House is rolling back steps taken by the Biden-Harris administration to address some of the nation's longstanding racial disparities. 'Specifically, the harmful impacts of various efforts by President Trump and his new administration — through executive orders and other administrative actions in large part through the new White House Department of Government Efficiency — is undoing much of the Biden-Harris administration's progressive efforts,' the study reads. 'The Trump-Vance administration is undermining and challenging civil rights, too, cutting not just diversity, equity, and inclusion programs out of the federal government but also historic civil rights protections stretching back to the 1960s.' However, the study added, Black communities have faced the 'reversal' of progress before. The policy recommendations listed in the study, the CBCF and the Joint Center said, furthers the promise of advancing the social, political and economic status of Black Americans.
