JUDGMENT

R.V. Raveendran, J. — Leave granted.

The judgment dated 27.7.2006 of the Bombay High Court in W.P. No.1448 of 2006 is under challenge in this appeal.

2. The Directorate of Film Festivals under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting organizes National Film Awards (‘NFA’ for short) every year, on behalf of the Government of India. The awards are given to feature films as also non-feature films. The respondents who are documentary film makers, intended to enter their Non-Feature Films for the 53rd National film Awards for the year 2005. Respondents were aggrieved by the following two eligibility requirements prescribed by the Directorate, for non-feature films, in clause (e) of Regulation 10 of the 53rd NFA Regulations : (i) that the films should have been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (‘Board’ for short); and (ii) that the films should have been released only on a film (celluloid) format, even if they were shot in digital format. Clause (d) of Regulation 10 stipulated similar requirements in regard to feature films. The Respondents, therefore, filed WP No.1448/2006, seeking a declaration that Regulations 10(d) and (e) of the 53rd National Film Award