HC stays declaration of National Film Awards

New Delhi, May 9 (UNI) The Delhi High Court today stayed the declaration of the awards of the 53rd National Film Awards for 2005 directing the government to look into the allegations by one of the juries of the award committee.

Justice Kailash Gambhir directed the Information and Broadcasting Ministry not to declare the awards without getting clearance from the court.

'It is serious as the dissent is by a jury member,'' said Justice Gambhir.

Justice Gambhir asked the ministry to place the decision taken by the jury and action taken report on the redressal of the allegations in the petition by Shyamli Banerjee Deb before the court by next date of hearing on July 26.

Sanjay Leela Banshali's 'Black' has been chosen to receive best film and best director's award. Black is an adaptation of a hit English film 'The Miracle of Worker' released in 1962. ''A film which is an adaption of a foreign film should not be considered since the awards are meant for only original work,'' said Deb in the petition filed by Counsel Deepak Prakash.

During the arguments Prakash alleged that two officials of the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) Shanker Mohan and Manoj Srivastava had imposed the names of the awardees on Chairman of Jury Board B Sarija Devi during a meeting held at Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi on August 12, 2006.

''Those who have close proximity with the DFF officials were up on the bid for the National Awards while a number of promising directors were left out because they did not manage to build up connection with the authorities,'' said the petition.

''In reality the DFF officials with ulterior motives decided the awards in their chambers and constituted a jury for the name sake and they tried to influence the members of the jury according to their suggestions.'' UNI PAT SK BD1932