Lok Sabha adjourned for day amid protest over Manipur; Cinematograph Amendment Bill passed

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Monday following protests by the opposition which has been demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament on the Manipur issue. When the House met at 2 pm, it passed the Cinematograph Amendment Bill, 2023, to curb film piracy. The bill has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha.

The bill has provisions for up to three-year jail term and a fine of up to five per cent of the production cost of a film for persons making its pirated copies. The bill also has provisions to introduce three age-based certifications under the 'UA' category, namely 'UA 7+', 'UA 13+' and 'UA 16+', and to empower the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to sanction a film with a separate certificate for its exhibition on television or other media. "The film industry is facing a loss of Rs 20,000 crore annually due to piracy. The bill has been brought to stop the loss which occurs due to piracy.

The legislation also takes care of the long-standing demand of the film industry," Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said. "Film piracy is like cancer and this bill will try to root it out," Thakur said. He said the certificates issued by the CBFC which are now valid for only 10 years will be valid perpetually after the bill becomes the law. The bill also has provisions to allow for a change of category of a film which has received either 'A' or 'S' certificate to be converted to 'UA' certification after making suitable alterations to allow it to be broadcasted on television. In a bid to curb film piracy, the bill seeks to introduce new sections in the Cinematograph Act with provisions to prohibit unauthorised recording of films (section 6AA) and their exhibition (section 6AB).

The stringent new provision 6AA in the bill also prohibits recording of a film or any part thereof with the sole purpose of using the recording in the same device. Thakur said the film industry has a soft power and the government will take steps to promote it further by providing all the required facilities. Now Indian content is watched across the globe, from Russia, the US and China to the Middle East countries, he said. Earlier, when the House met at 11 am, Speaker Om Birla announced that a parliamentary delegation from Malawi is visiting India and they are watching the proceedings of the House.

He welcomed the foreign delegation and wished them a pleasant stay in the country. As he completed his speech, the opposition members were on their feet demanding a statement from the prime minister on Manipur violence. Soon they came to the well of the House showing placards and raising slogans against the government. The speaker initially ignored their protests and continued the Question Hour, which was the scheduled business.

Two questions related to the education and finance ministries were taken up for discussion amid sloganeering and protests. As the protests continued, the speaker appealed to the opposition members to go back to their seats and take part in the proceedings. With the opposition MPs ignoring his pleas, the speaker adjourned the House till 2 pm after about 15 minutes of business.

The Manipur violence rocked proceedings in both Houses of Parliament ever since the Monsoon session began on July 20, with the opposition demanding a statement from Prime Minister Modi and a discussion on the situation in the northeastern state. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the government was ready for a debate on the Manipur issue.

The speaker had also said the opposition can't decide who would reply to the debate on behalf of the government. The opposition subsequently moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government, apparently aiming to force the prime minister to speak on the Manipur violence in Parliament.

The Monsson session started a day after a video of two women being paraded naked by a mob on May 4 in a Manipur village went viral, triggering a nationwide outrage. The Manipur Police has arrested several accused who were seen in the video, officials said. On July 27, the government decided to hand over the probe into the case of the naked parade of two women to the CBI and filed a petition in the Supreme Court saying the trial of the cases should be conducted outside the state.