A triumphant Abbas holding the Universal certificate issued by the Censor Board for Char Shaher Ek Kahani (1968)

Char Shaher Ek Kahani (1968) was a documentary film that led to one of the few challenges to the legality of pre-censorship in this country. This short film was awarded an A certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for showing scenes involving sex work. Abbas appealed this decision in the Supreme Court of India and then amended his petition to challenge pre-censorship as impinging on his freedom of expression. The court ruled against him, but the judgement led to the formation of the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), a quasi-judicial body to whom one can appeal against CBFC decisions.