New Delhi: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan told Parliament on Thursday that the “current average time” for certification of a film is 18 days against the stipulated time limit of 48 working days.
Murugan was replying to a question raised by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the Lok Sabha.
“After the implementation of the online certification system, the current average time for certification is 18 working days for feature films and three working days for short films,” he was quoted as saying in a press release from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
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“The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) functions in accordance with the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024. Under Rule 37 of the said Rules, the time limit prescribed for certification of films is 48 working days. With the implementation of the online certification system, the present average time for certification is 18 working days for feature films and 3 working days for short films.”
According to the year-wise details of films certified by the CBFC for theatrical release, in 2025-2026, a total of 2248 films were certified since the abolition of the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) in 2021, of which 55 were challenged before the vetting committees and 10 before the High Court.
According to the press note, the time taken for disposal of films in the vetting committee is within the time limit prescribed under Rule 37(7) of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024.
The reaction came amid the ongoing legal battle between the makers of Thalapathy Vijay’s ‘Jana Nayakan’ and the CBFC over the delay in the film’s certification.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had earlier filed a caveat application demanding that it be heard before the Supreme Court passes any order on the ongoing case regarding the release and certification of the film Jan Nayakan.
Filmmaker KVN Productions moved the apex court on January 15 challenging the High Court order, which had hindered the release of its film, which was scheduled to release on January 9. However, the top court refused to consider the petition. A bench of Justice Dipankar Dutta and AG Masih heard the case and asked the Madras High Court to decide the case.
The Madras High Court on January 27 set aside an earlier order passed by a single-judge bench (of the High Court) directing the CBFC to grant U/A certification to Jan Nayakan. (ANI)