Latest news with #DSGI
Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Now you'll dictate to directors which names they should use…': Kerala HC to censor board amid row over ‘Janaki' in film title
The Kerala High Court Monday asked whether the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is dictating the names and stories of the movies now. On the second day of hearing of the petition of producers of Suresh Gopi-starrer movie 'JSK: Janaki vs State of Kerala', which was denied certificate over the name Janaki, another name for Goddess Sita, the bench of Justice N Nagaresh directed Deputy Solicitor General of India (DSGI) O M Shalina, who appeared for the CBFC, to submit an affidavit on July 2, detailing the reasons for not issuing the screening certificate to the film. On Monday, the DSGI told the court that film name Janaki refers to the Hindu goddess Sita, and the petitioners can use a neutral name for their film. The CBFC also submitted that the title of the film violates the guidelines issued by the Union Government in conformity with the Section 5B(2) of the Cinematograph Act, which deals with certifying films. At this stage, the court asked, 'Now you will dictate to directors and artists which names they should use and which stories they should tell. What is wrong with Janaki? How is it contemptuous of a religion? … That is the freedom of artists.'' The court said 80 per cent of the names in India have religious connotations and that the CBFC cannot dictate which name should be given or which story should be told. Observing that the board has no right to interfere with the story of a film, the court directed the CBFC to give a convincing answer how the name Janaki amounted contemptuous to racial, religious or other groups. When the petitioner said the film is about the fight of a rape survivor and Janaki is the name of the protagonist, the court wondered, 'Janaki is not a rapist. If a rapist is named as Rama, Krishna, Janaki, then I can understand. The heroine is fighting for justice, what is the problem with that name?'' Rajya Sabha MP and advocate Haris Beeran, who appeared for the producers, said the teaser of the film has been certified by the CBFC. The teaser was released three months back and so far no complaints had emerged related to the title Janaki, he pointed out. 'Has anyone complained about the name Janaki? Whose sentiments are being hurt? Has anyone actually raised an objection?' the judge asked. Following opposition to the CBFC regional office's first demand for a change in the title of the film, the matter was taken up by the Revising Committee of the board, which also called for the name change. On Friday, while hearing the petition, the court had directed the CBFC to furnish the show cause notice the CBFC had served on the film producers, Cosmos Entertainments. The case will be taken up again on Wednesday. The Pravin Narayanan-directed film, also starring Anupama Parameswaran in the lead role, reportedly revolves around the legal battle of an assaulted woman named Janaki against the state.
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Time of India
Arrest warrant cannot be issued against person granted anticipatory bail: Calcutta HC quashes NBWs against defence personnel
KOLKATA: A warrant of arrest cannot be issued against a person who was granted anticipatory bail, the Calcutta High Court's Jalpaiguri circuit bench held on June 13 while scrapping non-bailable warrants issued by a Kurseong judicial magistrate against two defence personnel. 'If someone is granted anticipatory bail, he is protected from arrest, and if arrested, he must be released upon fulfilment of the conditions imposed by the court while granting the anticipatory bail. A warrant cannot be issued against him because the bail order already provides him protection from arrest. The only event when such a person may be arrested is when he violates the conditions of bail as directed by the court for him to comply with,' Justice Rai Chattopadhyay held. The order of the judicial magistrate at Kurseong on November 26, 2024, was challenged by the two defence personnel against whom non-bailable arrest warrants were issued. Their counsel and Deputy Solicitor General (DSGI) Sudipto Kumar Mazumder said, 'A case was registered against the two after an alleged scuffle broke out in 2019 when the two, along with others, went to one of the encroached lands of defence for eviction, after notice. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo ' You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata In 2019, the two defence officials were granted anticipatory bail by the Calcutta High Court's circuit bench at Jalpaiguri. Mazumder submitted that the arrest warrant issued against them was a 'gross irregularity and unauthorised exercise of power by the magistrate.' An FIR was registered at the Kurseong police station under sections of the Indian Penal Code dealing with a member of an unlawful assembly, criminal trespass, wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, assault to a woman with an intent to outrage her modesty, causing damage to property, criminal intimidation, and common intention on February 5, 2019. It was submitted that both of them are defence personnel who, in the course of their duty, restrained the complainant and others from forcefully taking possession of defence land. They were granted anticipatory bail on June 28, 2019. A charge sheet was submitted on June 10, 2024, and it was mentioned that the accused persons are 'bailed by court.' After which, a non-bailable warrant of arrest was issued by the magistrate on November 26, 2024. The judge noted that in this case, the anticipatory bail was granted prior to the submission of the charge sheet by the police. 'It is noticeable that the magistrate, in his enthusiastic pursuit to exercise an overwhelming statutory power of him which has the effect of even curtailing the personal liberty of an individual, has perhaps overlooked such recording in the charge sheet. Thus, the learned magistrate committed a wrong by delivering an order without even feeling any necessity to cite as to what has been recorded by police in the charge sheet regarding the grant of bail to the accused persons/petitioners,' Justice Chattopadhyay held. **END** **Facts of the Case:** - Case registered against the two: February 5, 2019. - Anticipatory bail granted: June 28, 2019. - Charge sheet submitted: June 10, 2024. - Non-bailable warrants issued against the two: November 26, 2024. - The two appealed against it before HC. - Judge quashed the warrants issued and directed the two to appear before the magistrate within three weeks and grant an undertaking that they will abide by the bail conditions. MSID:: 121974105 413
New Indian Express
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
We have Ram, Sita in film titles, why is Janaki a problem, Kerala HC asks CBFC
The court asked Deputy Solicitor General of India (DSGI) O M Shalina, who appeared for the CBFC: 'We have cinemas released in the name Seeta Aur Geeta. Janaki is Sita. But nothing happened. No problem, and nobody has any complaint. We have a film Ram Lakhan. Nobody has any complaints. Then, how come for Janaki there is a complaint?' The query followed the DSGI's submission that the board had issued a show-cause notice to the filmmakers on June 26. The DSGI submitted that the modification listed was to remove/change the name of the lead character 'Janaki', from the title and dialogues wherever it occurs. To this, the court asked, 'Why should there be modification?' The DSGI submitted that the board's guidelines say visuals or words contemptuous of racial, religious or other groups are not presented in films. The narrative of the film (JSK) deals with mature content, thus the name 'Janaki' should not be used in this context. The HC has directed that the show-cause notice be placed before it on June 30.
