The Mumbai chief metropolitan magistrate’s office passed an order on May 13 decreeing that publishers in Mumbai will have to furnish “character certificates” issued by the police each time they file a declaration for a new publication, reports The Indian Express. The Mumbai Police Special Branch’s “character and antecedent” certificate requires the applicant to state, among other general information, whether he or she has been involved in political activities in the past, and if so, to provide particulars. Reportedly, the measure, already in force in Thane and Pune, will not apply to existing publications, but will kick in if there is any change in the publication’s name or periodicity.