Cinematograph Amendment Bill, 2023 [UPSC Notes]

The Union Cabinet approved the Cinematograph Amendment Bill, 2023 to amend the Cinematograph Act, 1952, proposed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. In this article, you can read more about the Cinematograph Act, the amendments and the need for a law to fight film piracy effectively. This topic is relevant for the IAS exam polity segment.

Cinematograph Amendment Bill 2023

The Amendment Bill was first introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 12th February 2019.

• Referred to the Standing Committee on Information Technology.
• The Standing Committee submitted its report on 16th March 2020.
• The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was prepared after several rounds of stakeholder consultations.
• It is to be introduced in the Parliament during the 2023 monsoon session.

Aims and Proposals:

• It proposes to amend the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
• It has provisions for harsher penal provisions for film piracy.
• It introduces new sub-age categories for films.
• To bring about uniformity in the categorisation of films and content across platforms.
• The certification once given will be perpetual rather than the 10 years limit as of now.
• The act will be aligned with the Supreme Court judgements.
• Recertification of the edited film for television broadcast.
• Only Unrestricted Public Exhibition category films can be shown on television.
• It will make the act provisions in line with the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 to maintain uniformity.

New Sub-age Categories for Film Classification

• It will classify films on the basis of age group instead of rating them “U” (unrestricted public exhibition), “A” (restricted to adult audiences), and “UA” (unrestricted public exhibition subject to parental guidance for children below the age of 12).
• Added new categories – ‘UA-7+’, ‘UA-13+’, and ‘UA-16+’ in place for 12 years.

Stringent Laws Against Piracy

• It includes imprisonment for three years and a Rs 10 lakh penalty for those found involved in piracy.
• The act of piracy will be a legal offense and even transmitting pirated content will be punishable.

The Cinematograph Act 1952

Enacted by the Parliament to ensure that films are shown in accordance with the limits of tolerance of society.

• It establishes the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC, or the censor board) to certify films.
• The Board scrutinizes the films following the procedure laid down under the Act.
• Board can either reject or grant the certificate, valid for ten years.
• The Act authorizes the police to perform search and seizure actions if the film is being exhibited in contravention of any of the provisions of the Act.

Conclusion: The amendment bill is being hailed as a welcome and much-awaited move by the film fraternity across the country. It will encourage a culture of innovation, creativity and job creation in the sector. However, we also need to respect the balance between freedom of expression and reasonable restrictions going forward.

Cinematograph Amendment Bill, 2023 [UPSC Notes]:- Download PDF Here