Eleven years after the then Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) CEO, Rakesh Kumar Singh, was booked by the CBI for allegedly accepting bribes amounting to lakhs of rupees for speedy clearance of films and a minimum of Rs. 10,000 for promotional films and advertisements, a special court in Bombay on February 4 rejected his plea for discharge from the case. The judge said that the demand for money by Singh was quite evident and could be proved by circumstantial evidence.
Special judge S.M. Menjoge said, “He was collecting the amount through his agents… Hence there is sufficient material to frame a charge. Therefore, he cannot be discharged, as prayed.”
Seeking discharge from the case, Rakesh Kumar Singh submitted that he was arrested on August 18, 2014, following a complaint by producer Pravin Mohare. He further submitted that there was no demand, acceptance or recovery of a bribe. He also pointed out that the CBFC CEO was not solely responsible for issuing certificates as this task was assigned to a randomly selected screening committee. Singh said that the CBI had not yet obtained his voice sample to substantiate any alleged demand for a bribe. He added that he had been exonerated in the departmental inquiry.
The prosecution submitted that Rakesh Kumar Singh demanded Rs. 70,000 through authorised CBFC agent Shripati Mishra for issuing a certificate to Mor Dauki Ke Bihav before August 15, 2014. Consequently, Pravin Mohare filed a complaint with the CBI. The investigation revealed a disclosure statement from Sarvesh Jaiswal who stated that, on instructions of Rakesh Kumar Singh, he obtained a bribe of Rs. 1.06 lakh and handed over the same to Singh. It was also revealed that Singh accepted an iPad and a laptop computer to clear Tamil film Anjaan, but subsequently threw them in the Arabian Sea to destroy all evidence of the bribe. The CBI filed a chargesheet against three accused, including Rakesh Kumar Singh.
