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THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER, AJMER versus BRIJ NIWAS DAS

Citation: [1963] 2 S.C.R. 145 · Decided: 17-04-1962 · Supreme Court of India · Bench: T.L. VENKATARAMA AIYYAR · Disposal: Order modified

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Judgment (excerpt)

.. ·-
2 S.C.R. 
SUPREME OOURT REPORTS 
145 
the land of which it continued in possession under 
that grant was not one by the State Government or 
that the State Government had not the authority to 
make the grant. If such contention ie both not 
open to the C01;poration and not tenable on the 
merits, it would 
follow 
that 
the 
impugned 
notification was fully justified by the provisions 
under s. 81 of the Jabalpur Corporation Act. 
We therefore hold that the impugned notifi· 
cation was valid, though for reasons very different 
from those on which its validity was sus.tained ·by 
the learned Judges of the High Court: The appeal · 
fails and is dismissed. In view however· of the 
concession made by the respondent before. the 
High ([Jourt which misled the learned Judges we 
consider it proper to direct that each party ·should 
bear its costs throughout. 
Appeal dismissed. 
THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER, AJMER .· 
v. 
BRTJ NIWAS .OAS 
(B. P. SINHA, c. J., P. B. GAJENDRAGADKAR, 
K. N. WANCHOO, N. RA.JAGOPALA AYYANGAR . 
and T. L. VENKATARAMA AIYAR, JJ.) 
Oinemalograp\ Films-Indigenous films-Cultural films-
Ezhibilion .<>f-Condit-ion of license-f."!'otification-T'ires of-
Cintma1ograph .-let, 1.952 (Act. 37 of 1952), s. 12(4). 
----
The rrspondent was an exhibitor of films in a public 
cinema theatre. u •. der the powers conferred by s. 12(4) . 
of the Cinematograph Act a notification was issued which 
among other things provided that a certain percentage Of 
~ 11approvcd film" should be sho\.\·n at every performance an<l 
that film• produced in Indi• and certifie<l hy the Central 
19~1 
Munisipal 
Corpo,.ati1n •f 
,; 1Ibalp-rr 
v. 
Stal• oJ 
Madhya Pradc•h 
19(;;,;, 
Thi Chi•/ 
Co . .,,mi••ion,r, Ajm,r 
'· 
BriJNiwas Du 
146 
SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1963] 
Government as Cultural films wiH be deemed to be "approv-
ed films". 
In condition No. 22 of the license issued to the 
respondent the above terms pf the notification \••ere substan-
tially reproduced. On the failure of the respondent to pay 
a certain amount to the Ministry of Information for the 
supply of "approved films" the Ministry threatened to stop 
further supply of "approved films" to the respondent. There 
upon he filed a writ in the High Court by which he challen· 
ged the vire• of s. 12(4), the notification and the conditions 
in the license. The main contention was thats. 12(4) comp· 
rised two categories of films, namely, "cultural films" and 
"indigenous films" and that the two categories were alterna-
tive. 
Therefore it was urged that since condition No. 22 
required that cultural films also should be produced in India 
the condition was bad. The High Co•."t upheld the validity 
of the section but struck down the conditions. The appel-
lant appealed to this court on a certificate of fitness granted 
by the Hig/l Court. 
The sole 
question 
before the Supre111e Court was 
whethrr the notification an<l condition No. 22 v-.•ere valid 
within the terms of'· 12(4). 
1 
• 
.• 
Held, that the words "indigenous films" are gt"neral and 
unqualified in their contrnts and n1ust incJude in their ordi-
_ _. 
nary and accepted 
sen~e cultural as "·ell as other filnt'L 
To 
read the words "indigenous films'' as meaning" indigenous 
films'
1 other than cultural fihns would be to cut do\-\'n the 
plain and ordinary s~nse of the Wllr<ls and to imp:lrl into the 
c:nactment 
word~ which arr: not there. 
Tbc court \vould 
proceed on the basi-. that the 
L~gislature meant prcciseJy 
what it said. The wqrds 'produced in Tndia' in the impug-
nr:d notification and condition !\":"o. 22 are not to he read as 
a qualification ann~xed to the first category of films but 
re~erablc to the second category and would be perfectly 
• 
intra.,;,., under s. 12(4). 
The notification in so far as it requires that cultural 
films should have been produced in India is within'· 12(4) 
and condition No. 22 which has been framed in accordance 
therewith is vaJid. 
Crvn. APPEi.LATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal 
No. 310 or 1961. 
Appeal from the judgment and order dated 
May 14, 1958, of th« J:ajasthan High Ccmrt (Jaipur • 
2 S.C.R .. 
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
147 
Bench) at Jaipur Writ Application No. 237 of 
1956. 
S. N. Sanyal,. Additional Solicitor-General of 
India, S. K. Kapur and P. D. Menon, for the appel-
!ents and Interveners. 
The respondent did not appear. 
1962. April 17. The Judgment of the Court 
was delivered by 
VENKATARAMA AIYAR, J .--This is an appeal 
against the Judgment of the Hi

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