Zee Studios moves Bombay High Court to release censor certificate of Kangana Ranaut movie 'Emergency'

Zee Studios, co-makers of the upcoming film 'Emergency' starring Kangana Ranaut, has petitioned the Bombay High Court seeking an official copy of the film’s certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) [ Zee Entertainment Enterprises v. CBFC ].Zee has claimed that despite being informed of the film's certification on August 29, CBFC is yet to provide a formal copy of the certification. With the film scheduled for release on September 6, Zee Studios is seeking urgent relief from the court.The plea, set to be heard by a bench of Justice BP Colabawalla and Justice Firdosh Pooniwalla on Wednesday, alleges that CBFC has illegally withheld the certification. Interestingly, the CBFC had informed the Madhya Pradesh High Court (MP High Court) earlier today that it is yet to grant censor certificate to the movie.The CBFC told the MP Court that the movie is still under consideration and it will not be released on September 6. The MP High Court was also informed that film had been certified last month but the same was put on hold due to the objections. It was also submitted that the certificate was even emailed but the physical copy was not handed over..The plea before the Bombay High Court has effectively affirmed this stand of CBFC.According to the plea before the Bombay High Court, withholding of certificate contravenes the Cinematograph Act, which mandates that certification must be communicated in a prescribed format within five days of submission. Zee has argued that without this certification, they will be unable to screen the film and this would cause irreparable harm and violate their fundamental rights to free speech and right to carry on profession under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(g)..Emergency is a biographical political drama that explores the significant historical period of the national emergency in India in 1975. The film’s trailer, released on August 14, has already attracted nearly 300,000 views on YouTube. However, following the trailer's release, public interest litigations (PILs) were filed in the High Courts of Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, seeking halt on its release alleging that the film inaccurately represents Sikh community.