Catching the latest Bollywood release on a pirated CD or DVD may soon land you in jail. President Pratibha Patil has okayed a proposal that makes Maharashtra the first state where not just selling but even buying pirated CDs and DVDs can land one in prison.

The state government had forwarded a proposal to the Centre suggesting that both buyers and sellers be booked under the stringent Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities (MPDA) Act. The act denies alleged offenders bail for the first three months. Movie pirates are now booked under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code and the Copyright Act.

State home department principal secretary Anna Dani told TOI that the bill would be introduced in the state legislature in either the monsoon or winter session. “We hope to curtail video piracy drastically after the introduction of the law,’’ she added.

The Hindi film industry can make an estimated Rs 5,500 crore a year, but loses 27% of this amount to piracy. The industry has been urging the state and Centre to take stronger action as existing norms have failed to curb piracy. Film and Television Producers’ Guild general secretary Supran Sen said, “We had put forth our grievances, including piracy, to the President.”

A home department official said the new law would hit the underworld, which controls a big chunk of the piracy market.