Film certifier CBFC probes alleged leak from its e-Cinepramaan portal
Records from applications for over 500 titles were allegedly exposed in a leak that appears to have come from the e-Cinepramaan portal of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The statutory film certifier says it has found no trace so far of the documents claimed to have been accessed. It has filed a cybercrime complaint and informed CERT-In.
Syllabus: GS2 · Statutory & Regulatory Bodies; GS3 · IT, Space, Biotech & IPR; GS2 · Governance & e-Governance
Why this matters for UPSC
GS II statutory bodies and e-governance; GS III cyber security. Prelims can ask what the Central Board of Film Certification does under the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and what the 2023 amendment changed; Mains, how a regulator should secure its online portal.
Why it matters
A filmmaker cannot release a film in Indian cinemas without a CBFC certificate, and the only way to apply is online. The application carries the complete script, and the Board's orders, including cuts, come back the same way. A leak from that one system can spoil an unreleased story or show rivals what a distributor paid for a film; lawyers who saw excerpts said disclosing such terms could be commercially damaging. Because applicants have no other route, the burden of keeping the portal safe falls on the Board. The wider test is whether India's move to run regulators online comes with regular security audits and candid disclosure when something goes wrong.
Prelims pointers
- Section 3, Cinematograph Act, 1952: the Board has a Chairperson and not less than 12 or more than 25 other members, all appointed by the Central Government.
- Certificate categories under section 5A: U (unrestricted), UA with a UA marker, A (adults only) and S (members of a profession or class of persons).
- Section 4 Explanation: a UA marker lets parents or lawful guardians decide whether a child below eighteen sees the film; nobody else may enforce it.
- Perpetual certificates: the 2023 amendment struck 'for a period of ten years' from section 5A(3); Rule 29 of the 2024 Rules keeps a certificate valid perpetually, throughout India.
- Revisional power: the 2023 amendment omitted section 6(1), under which the Centre could re-decide the Board's cases, following K.M. Shankarappa v Union of India (2000).
- Anti-piracy sections 6AA and 6AB: no recording device in a licensed cinema to make an infringing copy, and no for-profit public screening of one.
- Section 7(1A): piracy offences carry 3 months to 3 years in jail and a fine of Rs 3 lakh up to 5% of the audited gross production cost.
- Section 5B(1): a film is not certified if against India's sovereignty and integrity, State security, friendly relations, public order, decency or morality, or involving defamation, contempt or incitement.
Practise a UPSC-style question
With reference to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), consider the following statements:
1. It is a statutory body functioning under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
2. Its Chairperson and its 12 to 25 other members are all appointed by the Central Government.
3. It functions with its headquarters at Mumbai and has regional offices assisted by advisory panels.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show the answer
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3. All three match the CBFC's own page and section 3 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
Statement 1: correct. The CBFC describes itself as a statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, regulating film exhibition under the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
Statement 2: correct. Section 3 of the Act provides for a Chairperson and not less than 12 and not more than 25 other members, all appointed by the Central Government.
Statement 3: correct. The Board functions from Mumbai and has nine regional offices, where advisory panels assist in examining films.
Eliminate: Statement 1 is surest: the CBFC is a statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Out: (b).
Eliminate: Statements 2 and 3 also hold, under section 3 and the Board's own page. Out: (a), (c).
Trap: Extreme word. 'All' in statement 2 looks too sweeping, yet section 3 has the Central Government appoint the Chairperson and every other member.
Remember: CBFC: statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, set up under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, based in Mumbai.
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