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CBI files case against Censor board officials on actor Vishal's bribery charges

CBI files case against Censor board officials on actor Vishal's bribery charges

Tamil actor Vishal

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against a few members of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) after Tamil actor Vishal raised bribery allegations.

Vishal had claimed that he had to pay Rs 6.5 lakh (Approx USD 7,808.04) to the CBFC for the certification of the Hindi version of his Tamil film Mark Antony.

CBI officials have not named those who have been accused but identified three others who have also been accused as Merlin Menaga, Jeeja Ramdas, and Rajan M.

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They said Menaga conspired with the two others and a few CBFC officials to demand a bribe of 7 lakh (USD 8,409) from the actor in September.

After due negotiation between the complainant and the accused, she allegedly accepted Rs 6.54 lakh as bribe on behalf of CBFC officials.

The case was registered after Vishal shared on social media on how he gave money to alleged middlemen who sought bribes to certify his film.

He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to investigate the “scam” at the CBFC’s Mumbai office.

A day after Vishal's post, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the government had zero tolerance for corruption and assured him that the strictest action would be taken against the guilty.

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Shomini Sen

Shomini has written on entertainment and lifestyle for most of her career. Having watched innumerable Bollywood potboilers of the 1990s, writing for cinema came as an easy option t...Read More