Pratibha, regional officer at the censor board in Kerala, has denied reports that her transfer order came after a Malayalam documentary film "21 Months of Hell', based on the Emergency period, was rejected when it came for certification.
Pratibha told IANS, "What happened is that on January 5, I got a transfer order through email. In the very same order, my counterparts in Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, have also been transferred.
"They have approached the central administrative tribunal, my counsel will soon approach the tribunal here, as my deputation period for four years ends only in the end of this year."
Pratibha, who is still the regional officer here, said her transfer order has nothing to do with the denial of the censor certificate to the documentary.
"I am only a member in the censor committee and there are other members also who see the film. Last month, this film came before the committee and on account of the violence and other issues, the committee decided to give a report to the film that it has to be screened in Mumbai before the revising committee, to be chaired by the chairman," added Pratibha.
She said the transfer order was an arbitrary one and the due process of law has not been followed. So, she has been forced to seek legal recourse.
21 Months of Hell is a docufiction based on the torture methods used by cops during the Emergency in India has been denied certification by the Kerala office of the Central Board of Film Certification.
The film has been rejected certification by the Board on several grounds, including that it disrespects Indira Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi and the national flag, and for containing violence, says its director Yadu Vijayakrishnan.