Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation banned from leadership roles: Why
The Supreme Court has brought back a 2015 order against the Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF) after finding its leaders guilty of stopping Tamil and Malayalam films from being shown in some theaters.
This came after complaints that KFEF president P.V. Basheer Ahamed and general secretary M.C. Bobby were deliberately keeping certain films out, hurting fair play in the industry.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) had fined KFEF and barred its top officials from holding any leadership roles—a move that was set aside for the two office bearers by the Competition Appellate Tribunal in 2016, but is now fully restored and enforced by the Supreme Court.
KFEF has to follow all CCI rules
Starting December 1, 2024, KFEF's top officials can't take up administrative roles for two years.
The federation also has to follow all CCI rules and file a compliance report within three months.
These penalties are meant to stop unfair control over which movies get screened in Kerala, and could set an example for film markets elsewhere too.