Tamil Nadu Compulsory Certification of Film Publicity Materials Act, 1987 states that a board has to be set up, that will approve cinema posters for exhibition.
According to Tamil Nadu Compulsory Certification of Film Publicity Materials Act enacted in 1987, a board is to be formed to regulate the publicity materials of regional films.
However, thirty years after the Act was enacted, the state has failed to form a board to regulate the publicity material.
On Saturday, the Madras High Court pulled up the censor board officials for failing to constitute the board, which is supposed to regulate film posters.
The HC made the observation after a Class 12 girl who eloped with a 22-year-old man in May last year told the court recently, that she was influenced by Tamil films to elope with her boyfriend.
The girl appeared in court in March this year, almost a year after she eloped. Following this, heads of censor boards were asked to appear in court to explain as to why action should not be taken against them, since the onus of exhibiting cinemas involving POSCO Act offences lies with the board.
The Times of India reports that a division bench consisting of Justice S Nagamuthu and Justice Anita Sumanth has given time till Monday to the authorities to inform the details of the law and the board.
After recording the statements of regional censor board officer on March 20, the bench adjourned the hearing to April 10.
Tamil Nadu Compulsory Certification of Film Publicity Materials Act, 1987 states that a board has to be set up, that will approve cinema posters for exhibition. After carrying out necessary inspection, the board will decide whether to give permission for the posters or not.
The Act clearly says that the publicity material displayed should be affixed with a seal and a licence certificate number allotted to it, assistant solicitor general Su Srinivasan told the court.
The Act also envisages three years of imprisonment in case of any violation, the report states.
Source: The News Minute