In a day of dramatic developments, censor board chief Leela Samson quit citing bureaucratic interference, coercion and corruption, triggering a series of resignations of board members. At last count, at least eight of the 23 board members had either resigned or were planning to in the next 24 hours. A few more may follow.
The government fielded the junior I&B minister, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, to deny any interference in the board's functioning. He said if Samson or any other member had any evidence of interference, in the shape of a letter or SMSs, it should be brought to the government's notice.

Samson said there was “total interference on every film, big and small“. Sources said overruling Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) objection and hastily clearing MSG: The Messenger of God, a controversial film by Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan, by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) was the tipping point for her decision to resign. The board felt that the film promotes obscurantism. The CBFC members who have submitted their resignation, or are in the process of doing so, include academic Ira Bhaskar, AICC secretary (Hindi dept) Pankaj Sharma, TV journo Rajeev Masand, film actor Arundhati Nag, filmmaker Shahji Karun, theatre personality M K Raina, TV producer Nikhil Alva and Lora K Prabhu.

The term of all the members had expired in May 2014, and they were being given extensions by months. On top of this the board was allegedly being starved of funds, and had not met since early 2014. That apart, their efforts to bring structural changes in the composition and qualification of examining committee members were also thwarted by the ministry. This, many members said, had made their role irrelevant. CBFC member Ira Bhaskar says they were frustrated by the bureaucracy at every step.“We are going to resign in support of Leela Samson. But what's happening now is a culmination of a long process. There was no money for meetings. The board didn't meet since early 2014. We wanted to bring about positive changes. To that end we had also written to the UPA government in the summer of 2013. As members, we are supposed to put across our views in meetings. Otherwise what's the point in being a member?,“ she said.

It is learnt that Raina and film writer Anjum Rajabali had already tendered their resignations some time ago.“But it seems it wasn't accepted. Because suddenly a few days back, I received a card extending my tenure,“ Raina told TOI. Bhaskar, who also teaches cinema in JNU, said: “Our term ended in May 2014. But we kept getting extension by one or two months. There was no extension after September 2014. Then strangely I received a letter on Thursday night with my new card as a board member extending my tenure till March 2015.“

In Mumbai, board member Nandini Sardesai, who headed the review panel of MSG, said the film shows him projecting himself as having miraculous powers to cure deadly diseases and eliminate enemies. On Friday a board member in Mumbai said, “MSG was twice rejected by the board, once by an examining committee, another time by a seven-member review panel. Those who saw the film felt it can cause disharmony in society.“

TV producer Nikhil Alva said, “We have resigned en masse in solidarity with the chairperson. I think the board serves no purpose except to take flak on certification. It acts as a buffer between the I&B ministry and the world when there is something wrong and I think given their attitude its best that the ministry take on the work of certification itself.“

Film critic Rajeev Masand said that being part of the board had been a “frustrating experience“ and concerns raised on issues of corruption and interference had fallen on “deaf ears“. He said the board was not allowed to function, or meet and several letters sent to the ministry had not been addressed.
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Citing “corruption and interference by the I& B ministry”, Board chief Leela Samson stepped down on Thursday night; Ira Bhaskar, another member, shall also put in her papers and others are likely to follow suit
Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; January 17, 2015)

MSG : The Messenger of God has many disbelievers in the Censor Board. After the film received swift clearance from the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) post-rejection from the examining and revising committees of the Central Board of Film Certification — also called Censor Board — the board chief and another member stepped down from their positions.

Censor Board chief Leela Samson put in her papers on Thursday night, amid reports that MSG : The Messenger of God , the film featuring Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan, had been cleared by the FCAT. In support of Samson, Ira Bhaskar, another member, will also put in her papers. Said Bhaskar, “ I am going to email my resignation and this is in support of the chairperson. We, as a board, stood for transparency in certification. We wanted the board to work as a certification body, not a censoring body, and wanted to encourage dialogue.” An en masse resignation of members is expected today.

The Censor Board had refused to clear the film, saying it could hurt religious sentiments and also promoted superstition and blind belief.

Moral stand
In her resignation letter, Samson, a Bharatnatyam dancer, cites “interference, coercion and corruption of panel members and officers” in the organisation who are appointed by the I& B Ministry, as well as “having to manage an organisation whose board has not met for over nine months as the Ministry had ‘no funds’ to permit the meeting of members.” She added that the term of all the members as well as the chairperson of the CBFC was over. “But since the new government failed to appoint a new board and chairperson, a few were given extensions and asked to carry on till this procedure was completed,” says Samson, who was appointed chairperson in 2011, succeeding Sharmila Tagore.

She also pointed fingers at Shravan Kumar, CEO, Children’s Film Society of India, who holds additional charge as Censor Board’s CEO. “Recent cases of interference in the working of the CBFC by the Ministry, through an ‘additional charge’ CEO and corrupt panel members has caused a degradation of those values that the members of this Board of CBFC and chairperson stood for,” she wrote.

Asked if there was any pressure from the Central government, which is allegedly close to the producer of MSG : The Messenger of God — the godman Insan — she said, “ There was no direct pressure put on me by any official or political party. But, the inordinate speed and interest taken in passing this film is unprecedented.”

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, minister of state for information and broadcasting, challenged Leela Samson’s allegations. Speaking to the media, he said yesterday, “I would like to see one SMS or mail which suggests that a member has been coerced.’’

‘Fast-track’ clearance
Nandini Sardesai, a board member who was part of the revising committee (RC) that also rejected the film, is equally shocked with the tribunal’s nod. She explained, “Usually, the tribunal screening takes two to three weeks, but within 24 hours of RC rejecting the film, it was screened and cleared. Though the I& B minister Raghuvendra Rathore said there was no political interference, who got the film cleared within a day? I am glad she (Samson) has taken a stand.”

Sardesai argued that the Mumbai regional officer, who headed the board’s examining committee, was not aware of the tribunal screening until an hour before it happened. “What about our credibility? We spend time to watch the film, and people from all walks of life are involved in this procedure. We brainstorm over it. All this was overruled. It is nothing but mockery of the CBFC. This is only to encourage other godmen to make films on themselves,” she stated.

According to an industry source, “Even a film like Raajneeti, which was referred to the tribunal, took three days to be cleared. This (quick clearance) has never happened in the past and is shocking.”