Lok Sabha Question No. 3376 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Ban on T.V. Programmes
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: OM BIRLA, CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI, PONNUSAMY VENUGOPAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3376 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22/03/2017

## BAN ON T.V.  PROGRAMMES

## 3376.  SHRI    OM BIRLA: SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI: DR. P. VENUGOPAL:

## Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  banned the telecasting of any television programme during the last three years and the current year;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (c) the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  establish  a  reasonable  balance between decency and freedom and to discourage provocative and inflammatory news in the telecast of programmes in the country; and
- (d) whether it is also true the Government has banned some news channels for a day from telecasting and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  INFORMATION  &  BROADCASTING [COL RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE (Retd.)]

(a)  to  (d): As  per  existing  regulatory  framework,  all  programmes  and  advertisements telecast  on  private  satellite  TV  channels  and  transmitted/re-transmitted  through  the Cable TV network     are  required  to  adhere  to  the  Programme  Code  and  Advertising Code  prescribed  under  the  Cable  Television  Networks  (Regulation)  Act,  1995  and Cable Television Network Rules, 1994 framed thereunder.  The Act does not provide for pre-censorship  of  any  programme  or  advertisement  telecast  on  such  TV  channels. However, all programmes and advertisements are required to be in conformity with the said Programme and Advertising Codes which contain a whole range of parameters to regulate  programmes  and  advertisements  including  provisions  to  address  content  of indecency, provocative and inflammatory news on TV.

The  Ministry  has  constituted  an  Inter-Ministerial  Committee  (IMC)  under  the Chairmanship of Additional   Secretary,  Ministry  of  I&B  and  comprising  officers  drawn from    Ministries    of  Home  Affairs,  Defence,  External  Affairs,  Law,  Women  and  Child Development, Health & Family Welfare, Consumer Affairs and a representative from the industry in Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to take cognizance suo-motu or look into specific complaints regarding violation  of the Programme and Advertising Codes. The IMC functions in a recommendatory capacity.  The final decision regarding penalties and  its quantum  is  taken by the Ministry on the basis of the  IMC recommendations.

Such action may extend from issue of warnings or advisories to comply with the Programme/Advertising  Codes  or  directing  channels  to  run  apology  scrolls  on  their channels and can extend up to taking the channels off air temporarily for varying period depending  on  the  gravity  of  the  violation.  As  many  as  11  TV  channels  have  been ordered to stop transmission for periods ranging from 1 to 30 days during the last three years and the current year.  Details are enclosed at Annexure.

Further, as part of the self-regulation mechanism, News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has set up News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) in 2008 and formulated a Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards covering a wide range of principles to self-regulate news broadcasting.

Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has set up a mechanism for self-regulation Broadcasting  Content  Complaints  Council  (BCCC) in  case of  non-news  channels. As part  of  this,  IBF  has  laid  down  Content  Code  &  Certification  Rules  2011  covering  an entire gamut of content-related principles and criteria for television broadcast.

With regard to regulation of advertisements on TV channels, the Code adopted by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), a self-regulatory body, has been incorporated in the Advertising Code  stipulated in Cable Television  Networks (Regulation)  Act,  1995  and  Rules  framed  thereunder.  ASCI  has  set  up  Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) to consider complaints with regard to advertisements.

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## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE  REFERED  TO  in  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3376 FOR ANSWER ON 22.03.2017

List of private TV channels asked to go off air for telecasting content in violation of the Programme and Advertisement  codes during the years 2014 to 2017.

|   Sl. No. | Name of the Channel   | Reason for Show Cause Notice                                                                                        | Details of action taken                                                                                                                                                                    |
|-----------|-----------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | WB                    | Telecast of a "V/UA" certified film "It's a Boy Girl Thing" showing obscene and women denigrating content.          | An order dated 16.01.2014 was issued for taking the channel off air for one day.                                                                                                           |
|         2 | NTV                   | Telecast a song-based programme 'Cine Colors'.                                                                      | An order dated 19.01.2015 was issued to the channel for taking the channel off air for seven day.                                                                                          |
|         3 | DY 365                | Telecast of News report revealing the identity rape victim.                                                         | An order was issued on 26.03.2015 to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for one day. The order has been kept in abeyance.                              |
|         4 | NDTV Good Times       | Telecast of programme namely 'WHY AM I STILL SINGLE'.                                                               | An order was issued on 26.03.2015 to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for one day. The order has been kept in abeyance.                              |
|         5 | TLC                   | Telecast of programme namely 'SEX SENT ME TO THE ER'.                                                               | An order was issued on 26.03.2015 to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for one day.The order has been kept in abeyance.                               |
|         6 | Satlon News           | Telecast of News report about a private corporate party organised in a five star hotel on the Pune- Mumbai highway. | An order was issued on 27.03.2015 to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for 30 day.                                                                    |
|         7 | Jai Hind              | Telecast of 'A; certified film, titled 'Hai Harithe'.                                                               | An order was issued on 07.04.2015 to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for one day.                                                                   |
|         8 | Aljazeera TV          | Telecast of News report carried wrong graphical map of India repeatedly.                                            | An order was issued on 10.04.2015 to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for 5 day.                                                                     |
|         9 | NDTV INDIA            | Telecast of news report on Pathankot terrorist attack.                                                              | An order was issued on 02.11.2016 to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for one day. The order has been kept in abeyance.                              |
|        10 | Care World            | Telecast of obscene programme 'Kya Karu Mai Aab.                                                                    | An order was issued on 02.11.2016 to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for seven days.                                                                |
|        11 | News Time Assam       | Telecast of news report revealing the identity of minor boy.                                                        | An order dated 2.11.2016 was issued to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for one day (to carry out the three awards of one day off air concurrently). |
|        11 | News Time Assam       | Telecast of News bulletins showing disturbing visuals of dead bodies.                                               | An order dated 2.11.2016 was issued to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for one day (to carry out the three awards of one day off air concurrently). |
|        11 | News Time Assam       | Telecast of News story defaming the image of MLA and denigrating women.                                             | An order dated 2.11.2016 was issued to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for one day (to carry out the three awards of one day off air concurrently). |

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