New Delhi: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has issued a draft of the Cinematograph Act 2013, proposing that the central government should be solely empowered to suspend the exhibition of a film, as opposed to state governments and other local authorities.

“No order of suspension of exhibition of any film shall be passed by any state government or the administration of a Union territory save and except an order passed by the central government as provided for in this Section," said the draft.

The Bill comes after the empowered committee under the chairmanship of Mukul Mudgal, a retired chief justice of the high court of Punjab and Haryana, submitted its report to MIB earlier this month.

The committee was constituted in February by the central government to examine issues of censorship arising out of a ban imposed by the state government of Tamil Nadu on the Kamal Hassan starrer Vishwaroopam. The ban was later lifted.

According to a statement released by the ministry, the purpose of making the Bill public was to invite feedback on the proposed legislation.

The members of the committee that proposed the changes also included lyricist Javed Akhtar and former chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification Sharmila Tagore.

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