At the centre of controversy for his handling of the certification of Udta Punjab , the film which highlights the issue of the drug problem in Punjab, and specifically, the leak of the film online a day ahead of its release on June 17, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Pahalaj Nihalani said his office was not in receipt of the CD till 6.30 p.m. as directed by the Mumbai High Court.
“We had to issue a certificate within 48 hours as directed by the Court. The producer handed over the CD to us at 6.30 p.m. which is required to be verified and sealed,” Mr. Nihalani said in an exclusive interview given to Karan Thapar on India Today TV .
Mr. Nihalani also said, if it was proved that the CBFC was behind the leak, he would voluntarily get arrested. To a question on why he should not resign for his mishandling of the certification process of the film, Mr. Nihalani retorted, “why should I resign. I did my job. There is no corruption now. My conscience is 100 per cent clear.”
He also denied he was under pressure from the BJP government to deny certification. To a question on whether he was acting at the behest of the government, Mr. Nihalani said: “No one, neither the BJP nor the Minister of State Rajyavardhan Rathore called me to deny certification.”
