Film certification guidelines need contemporary interpretation and should be as non-discretionary as possible, information and broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley said on Saturday as he met a government-appointed Shyam Benegal panel to look into the revamp of the Censor Board.

Jaitley said that in most countries, there is a mechanism for certifying films and documentaries, but it has to be ensured that in doing so, artistic creativity and freedom is not curtailed. He said film certification guidelines need contemporary interpretation and they should be made as non-discretionary as possible.

Union minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore was also present at the interaction with the panel, which was constituted on January 1 to recommend broad guidelines for certification of films by the Benegal said there is a need to move towards a new system of grading films in terms of age, maturity, sensibility and sensitivity instead of censorship. He said they also discussed how the committee would function and work on the guidelines and policies to be followed by the Censor Board while clearing a movie. “There might be amendments and changes in the (existing) guidelines,“ Benegal said.

The committee will study the existing procedure being followed by the CBFC for certification of original films, their dubbed versions as well as re-certification of films for screening on other media platforms.

It will also study various directives of courts as well as notifications issued by other government agencies like ministry of health and family welfare, ministry of environment and forests and Animal Welfare Board of India which have a bearing on the process of film certification. The staffing pattern of CBFC would also be looked into in an effort to recommend a framework which would provide transparent, user-friendly services.