Overview

• The court directed the CBFC to specify the exact scenes or dialogues it finds objectionable and to provide detailed reasons for its refusal to certify the film
• Filmmakers must submit an application to the CBFC’s Revising Committee by August 8, which in turn must list its objections by August 11 and complete its decision within a week
• The bench ruled that there is no statutory basis for demanding a No Objection Certificate from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
• Justices Mohite-Dere and Gokhale criticized the board’s handling of the case as “difficult” and called for a transparent, rule-based approach under the Cinematograph Act
• The dispute highlights broader tensions in Indian cinema between regulatory discretion, defamation safeguards and freedom of expression