A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act court on January 31 reserved for order an application filed by a women activist organisation seeking criminal action and probe against filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar, two producers of Marathi film Nay Varan Bhat Loncha Kon Nahi Koncha, a studio and CBFC chairman Prasoon Joshi, for circulation of alleged explicit display of “child pornography” in a trailer of the film. The complaint was filed by Seema Deshpande, president of Bharatiya Stree Shakti.
According to Deshpande, the film’s trailer uploaded by the filmmaker and production house (NH Studioz) showed scenes of child pornography, punishable under the POCSO Act. The complaint further added that the trailer was freely accessible and downloadable, and had been circulated and transmitted.
Although the objectionable scene, passed by the CBFC, was later voluntarily removed from the film by the producers, the trailer was still widely circulated on social media, the complainant said.