Kerala High Court Refuses Interim Relief for Seven Films at IDSFFK

The Kerala High Court has turned down a plea to permit the provisional screening of seven films at the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam (IDSFFK), holding that the Centre's decision to keep them under review was not unreasonable.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas observed that 339 of the 346 films under consideration had already been cleared for screening at the festival. The remaining seven are still awaiting a decision.

The Additional Solicitor General of India, P. Sreekumar, told the court that six of the seven pending films had been referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs for its assessment of their content, while one had been sent to the Ministry of External Affairs. The Centre maintained that there had been no delay or arbitrariness on its part in processing the exemption applications.

On that basis, the court found nothing unreasonable in withholding the seven films while the reviews remain pending.

The matter arose from a petition filed by the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy, which had approached the court over the Central government's failure to act on requests for censorship certificates for certain short films at the festival. The festival opened on September 25 and is scheduled to conclude on September 30.

The petitioner pointed out that the Centre is empowered under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, to grant exemption from certification requirements. The Academy had sought exemption for 347 documentaries, of which 291 were initially approved. Of the 56 left out, 31 had already been finalised by the Academy for screening, prompting it to file a representation seeking reconsideration and exemption.

The Academy contended that despite the festival's imminent start on September 25 and its submission of the additional screeners and materials sought by the Ministry, no clear decision had been communicated.