CBFC Say Cut to Credits, Umar Khalid Documentary Face Screening Hurdle at IIIT Hyderabad

A planned screening of a documentary on jailed activist Umar Khalid at the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, appear to have run into a regulatory road block after the Central Board of Film Certification, flagged the proposed event. The documentary, Prisoner No. 626710 is Present, directed by filmmaker Lalit Vachani, was scheduled to be screened by a group of students at the institute’s KRB Auditorium at 8 pm on Friday. However, the proposed screening came under scrutiny after the CBFC stated that publicly exhibiting an uncertified film could amount to a violation of the Cinematograph Act unless an exemption had been obtained. Public screening of a documentary film that has not yet been certified by the CBFC is a violation of the Cinematograph Act unless a specific exemption has been sought under the Act, the CBFC said in a post on X. The board also tagged IIIT Hyderabad in its post and indicated that the institute authorities could take note of the matter and take necessary action. The development has effectively placed the planned screening under a regulatory spotlight, with the event reportedly unlikely to proceed as originally scheduled. A Documentary at the Centre of a Regulatory Dispute The film focuses on Umar Khalid, the former Jawaharlal Nehru University student and activist who has been in jail in connection with the larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 northeast Delhi riot. His case has remained a subject of political and legal debate. The documentary’s proposed screening at an educational institution has now become less about a film night programme and more about the legal requirements surrounding the public exhibition of uncertified film. The CBFC intervention does not itself constitute a judicial ruling on the documentary content. Its stated objection, as communicated publicly, concerns the certification and exhibition requirement under the applicable film law. Students Screening Meets Certification Question The event was reportedly being organised by students rather than as a commercial theatrical release. Nevertheless, the CBFC public statement specifically referred to a public screening and said an exemption would be required if the film had not been certified. The episode highlights the regulatory frame work governing public film screenings in India, including screenings organised within educational institutions. For now, the proposed IIIT Hyderabad screening appears to have been halted or cancelled following the CBFC intervention, although the precise status of the event would depend on any subsequent decision by the institute or the organiser