Ashoke Pandit Demands CBI Inquiry A Day After Vishal Alleged Bribery At The CBFC; Ministry Orders A Probe- Read Reports

Tamil actor Vishal recently took the internet by storm after he claimed that he had paid a bribe of Rs 6.5 lakhs to the officials at the Mumbai office of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for the certification of his movie Mark Anthony. Now a day after his allegations went viral, former CBFC member Ashoke Pandit has demanded a CBI inquiry for the matter. 

In a recent media interaction with India Today he revealed that on the behalf of Indian Film and Television Directors' Association (IFTDA) he is writing a letter to Prasoon Joshi to demand a CBI inquiry. He continued by stating that the names mentioned by the actor are not employees of CBFC so “whoever the money was given to has to be investigated.” ALSO READ: Vishal Accuses CBFC Mumbai Officials Of Taking Bribe Of Rs 6.5 Lakh For Screening And Granting A U/A Certificate To Mark Antony – WATCH VIDEO

In an interview with the news agency ANI, Pandit expressed how Vishal accusing a CFBC officer at the current stage is wrong. However, if the allegations are made, then there should be a CBI inquiry considering how serious the allegations are. He further added, “It is obvious that any officer who demands money will not take it (directly) into his account... These two people he named should be asked if they have taken the money on someone's behalf at the CBFC... High power inquiry should be initiated.”

Adding to this the central Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) announced on Friday that they have launched an inquiry over the matter. They wrote on Twitter, “A senior officer from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has been deputed to Mumbai to conduct an inquiry today itself. We request everyone to cooperate with the Ministry, by providing information about any other instance of harassment by CBFC at jsfilms.inb@nic.in.”

For those unaware, Vishal has claimed that he was asked to pay Rs 6.5 lakh by the CBFC officials in exchange for a U/A certificate and screening. Mark Anthony’s Hindi version was released on September 28. The actor even shared the details of the bank accounts the bribe was transferred to in two instalments. Further details in the case are awaited.