Overview
- Students at NALSAR University of Law organised a student-only screening of Prisoner No. 626710 is Present on Wednesday without university permission and with about 30–40 people in attendance.
- The Central Board of Film Certification has not certified the film and warned that public exhibition without an exemption would violate the Cinematograph Act, creating legal risk for open campus events.
- Earlier planned screenings at IIIT-Hyderabad and NLSIU Bengaluru were cancelled following CBFC objections and opposition from the ABVP, and IIIT-H issued disciplinary warnings to eight students tied to the proposal.
- Organisers said they avoided seeking permission to prevent an expected denial and described the event as a space for solidarity and discussion about prolonged pre-trial detention in Umar Khalid’s case.
- The episode underscores growing campus friction between student organisers, administrations, regulatory bodies, and political student groups and comes against the wider backdrop of Khalid’s 2020 arrest and UAPA charges.