OH NO! CBI Books 3 CBFC Personnel Amidst Allegations Of Taking Bribes For U/A Certification For Mark Antony! (Details Inside)

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has opened an investigation into a few Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) members and three others after Tamil actor Vishal accused them of bribery during the certification of his film. The actor stated in a lengthy video that he had to pay Rs. 6.5 lakhs to acquire certification for his Hindi remake of the Tamil film ‘Mark Antony.

According to an Indian Express story, while the CBFC personnel were not recognized, the three others were "Merlin Menaga, Jeeja Ramdas, and Rajan M. They claimed Menaga colluded with the two others and several unidentified CBFC officials in September to seek a bribe of 7 lakhs from the complainant. She allegedly collected Rs 6.54 lakh as a bribe on behalf of CBFC officials in the bank accounts of Ramdas and Rajan after thorough discussion between the complainant and the accused."

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According to officials, Rs. 6.5 lakhs were instantly removed from the bank. "It was also alleged that in addition to the said amount, Menaga obtained Rs 20,000 in her bank account from the account of a private company as coordinating fees for herself," stated the officials.

The Indian Film and Television Directors' Association (IFTDA) wrote an official letter to Anurag Thakur, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs and Sports, thanking him for the swift CBI investigation.

“We, on behalf of Hon. Executive Committee members of Indian Film & Television Directors' Association thank you for initiating a CBI Enquiry to probe the bribery allegations of the Tamil Actor/ Producer, Mr. Vishal against CBFC, Mumbai and paid Rs. Six Lakhs Fifty Thousand Only to get his film MARK ANTONY's (Hindi) screening and censor certificate. Your immediate action has boosted the morale of the film fraternity and they are confident that Central Bureau of Investigation would reach the bottom of the case and take strict action against the officials of Central Board of Film Certification, Mumbai. Action should also be taken against the officer who had signed the certificate even after knowing that the application was just 24 hours earlier. We convey our heartiest thanks for the prompt action,” the letter read.

Vishal said last week on Thursday that CBFC officials sought a bribe of Rs 6.5 lakhs in exchange for screening and awarding a U/A certificate to his film. He had requested an investigation into the situation from Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Following Vishal's allegations of corruption, the communication and broadcasting ministry announced that senior authorities have been dispatched to Mumbai to investigate the case. The ministry also encouraged the Producers Guild of India and the Motion Pictures Association to help by sharing information regarding additional cases of CBFC harassment.

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“The Government has zero tolerance for corruption and strictest action will be taken against anyone found involved. A senior officer from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has been deputed to Mumbai to conduct an inquiry today itself,” read an excerpt of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter.