New Delhi: Two orders regarding film certification with respect to a Punjabi feature film titled Chardikala, one passed by the Examining Committee on May 26 and the other by Revising Committee on July 14, have been withdrawn, the Regional Officer, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has informed the Punjab and Haryana high court. The high court ruled that the orders came to be passed by an authority “lacking the competence to do so”.According to a report by The Tribune, the order states that the matter shall be considered afresh by the competent authority after affording the appellant an adequate opportunity of hearing.Directed by Amarjit Saron, Chardikala premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, becoming one of the most talked about Punjabi films of 2026. Inspired by the real life story of Sikh activist Bibi Bimal Kaur Khalsa, it earned a lot praise for its emotional storytelling, performances and sensitive portrayal of a chapter of history. The film was supposed to release in India on May 29 but faced several hurdles with the censor board.The letter, issued on September 6, withdrawing the previous orders, was placed before the Punjab and Haryana high court during the hearing of an appeal filed by the proprietor of M/s Mad4 Films.Advocate Harlove Singh Rajput, appearing on behalf of the appellant, had challenged the orders that refused certification to Chardikala on the ground that its highly sensitive social and political theme threatened law and order, and that the glorification of assassins could lead to a breakdown of societal norms.It stated: “A perusal thereof clearly shows that it is only w.e.f. August 29, 2026, that the Central Government, in exercise of its powers under Section 7B of the Act, has directed that the powers, authority and jurisdiction exercisable by the Board in relation to certification of films under Part II, including the power under Section 4, shall be exercisable by the Chairperson, Central Board of Film Certification.“Consequently, before August 29, 2026, there was no order of delegation in favour of the Chairperson, Central Board of Film Certification, much less in favour of the Regional Officer. However, the orders dated May 26 and July 14, 2026, were passed by the Regional Officer, Central Board of Film Certification.“It is thus evident that on the dates on which the orders came to be passed, neither had the Central Government issued any direction under Section 7B(1) of the 1952 Act enabling the exercise of the Board’s powers by any other authority, nor does Section 7B(2) thereof avail the respondents, inasmuch as the said provision permits the Central Government to authorise a Regional Officer only for the limited purpose of issuing provisional certificates and not for refusing to sanction a film for public exhibition under Section 4(2)(v) of the 1952 Act.“The impugned orders, therefore, came to be passed by an authority lacking the competence to do so,” the order read, per the report, citing Section 4 of the 1952 Act.The court also questioned the delay of close to four months since the film’s producers’ application for the certification on May 12 under the priority scheme, saying it was to be deprecated.According to the report, the court also observed that the power under Section 4 is with the CBFC chairperson, who is thus now the competent authority to decide the appellant’s appeal. Senior advocate Dheeraj Jain, represented the CBFC.Satya Pal Jain, Additional Solicitor General of India, appearing on behalf of the Union government, assured the court that the constitution of the Examining Committee for the purpose of examining the Punjabi film would be done and that the rest of the process would be carried out in terms of Rule 37 read with the relevant rules.The high court then disposed of the appeal in view of the withdrawal of the impugned orders.