Contempt proceedings against Manish Tewari stayed over Ram Leela

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has stayed contempt proceedings in the Bombay high court against information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari for not reviewing the censor board certification for the movie Galiyon ki Ras Leela -- Ram Leela.

The high court had asked the minister to appear on March 11, 2014, before it to explain his ministry's failure to comply with its order to review the movie's U/A certificate.

A bench, comprising Justices S J mukhopadhyaya and Kurian Joseph, also stayed further proceedings challenging the movie release. These are pending in different high Courts, Senior advocate Harish Salve said, opposing the phenomena of challenging pre-releases.

He was speaking for Eros international media limited which marketed and distributed the movie. The two other petitions, besides the one in the Bombay HC, are pending in the Jabalpur high court and the Allahabad high court.

Additional all solicitor general K V Viswanath said that the central government has no power to review the CBfc certification. The CBFC is an autonomous body, he contended, seeking a stay on the contempt petition against Tewari.

The Bombay high court had on dec 18, 2013, asked the centre to consider whether guidelines had been followed bythe CBFC which gave the movie u/a certificate, which means the movie directed by Sanjay Lila Bhansali, can be seen by children under parental guidance.

In an appeal filed in the top court, the union government claimed that the cinematograph act, 1952, was a self-contained code.

There's a right to appeal against the CBfc decision to the film certification appellate board, the government argued. The board is autonomous and functions separately from the government, the union said. Under the rules, the CBfc can send the movie back for a review either on its own or an application.

Any person aggrieved by the board decision can move the appellate tribunal which is headed by a retired judge of a high court or a person qualified to be a high court judge, the centre said.

Any complaint against a movie to the CBfc has to be forwarded to the central government.