The Bombay high court on 8th August chided the Central government for interfering in the working of the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. It reminded the Centre that FTII was not Doordarshan, that there was a reason for its autonomy. It accused the government of interfering in the affairs of the FTII and wondered what it had reduced the Institute to.
The observations of a bench of Justices Satyaranjan Dharmadhikari and Gautam Patel came while hearing a petition filed by FTII faculty member Indranil Bhattacharya to quash and set aside his July 19 suspension on disciplinary grounds, including for an anti-government post on Facebook. Bhattacharya maintained that the government action against him was vindictive as he had complained to the Central Vigilance Commission.
Bhattacharya wanted to apply to Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) but his application had to be routed through the FTII director. The judges asked the parties to resolve the dispute as mature people. They asked Bhattacharya to forward his application to JMI.