ALAPPUZHA: With the Competition Commission of India (CCI) cracking the whip on the monopolistic practices of Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF), the Adoor panel-endorsed wi-de release is back in focus.
On Tuesday, the CCI imposed a penalty of Rs 1.86 lakh on KFEF and Rs 56,397 and Rs 47,778 respectively on its officials P.V. Basheer Ahmed and M.C. Bobby for being “anti-competitive”.
The two were ordered to stay away from the affairs of the industry body. It had slapped a Rs 1.29-lakh penalty on them in June.
“The conduct of KFEF and its above said office-bearers was under investigation in a previous case and despite this fact, they resorted to anti-competitive activities,” it said.
They were found violating Section 3 (3) (b) of Competition Act 2002, which stipulated the competitive culture, by resisting wide-release of films.
Kerala State Film Devel-opment Corporation (KSF-DC) chairperson Raj-mo-han Unnithan said he wo-uld uphold the CCI verdict, and the government too recognised it in principle.
With the new order, the KFEF is unlikely to continue its opposition, though Mr Ahmed refused to respond.
Cine Exhibitors’ Associ-ation secretary Shaji Viswanath said it had to approach the CCI as the government dilly-dallied. The panel headed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan suggested wide release, among other things.
