Three days' police custody for censor board CEO

A special court Tuesday sent censor board CEO Rakesh Kumar, arrested in a corruption case, to police custody for three days, an official said here.

The CBI had last Thursday carried out a search at Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) CEO Kumar's residence in Mumbai in connection with the case.

The agency has already arrested CBFC advisory panel member and an authorised agent for censor certification Shripati Mishra for allegedly demanding Rs.70,000 in bribe for issuing a censor certificate to regional language film from Chhattisgarh "Mor Dauki Ke Bihav" on priority as it was scheduled for release Aug 15, 2014.

Mishra and another CBFC advisory panel member, who was also caught while accepting a bribe on behalf of the CEO, were produced in the designated court which remanded them to police custody till Wednesday.

"Searches were also conducted at the premises of all the three accused," a CBI official said.

Reacting to the CBFC CEO's arrest, a filmmaker said the process of film certification is "politicised".

"I don't know why people are shocked. It's something we all know. This whole damn thing is politicised. People who have no love for cinema and those who have no fear are in this place. Let's not just blame the CEO for accepting a bribe, there is a whole racket that's part of this game," "Hate Story 2" director Vivek Agnihotri told IANS.

The CBFC is a statutory body under the ministry of information and broadcasting to regulate public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act, 1952.