Lok Sabha Question No. 6199 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Complaints on Violations of Publishing Broadcasting
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Shri Kalyan Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6199 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01/04/2026

## COMPLAINTS ON VIOLATIONS OF PUBLISHING BROADCASTING

## 6199.  SHRI KALYAN BANERJEE:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  complaint  received  on  violations  of  publishing  broadcasting  / telecasting  /  app  content  fixed  by  the  Government  on  violence/obscenity  by various media in the country;
- (b) the details of action taken on such violations during the last five years;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  made  any  study  about  the  adverse  impact  of increasing violent / toxic culture content in internet/print/electronic / social media on society, affecting youth and adolescents and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the details of steps taken or proposed to be taken by the Government to curb mental health  issues  faced  by  many  readers/viewers  through  such  content  particularly through the social media, internet, apps therein?

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND

## ANSWER PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN)

(a) to (d): The private television channels are required to adhere to the Programme Code and Advertising Code framed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation)  Act,  1995.  The  Programme  Code  provides  that  programme  which contains any of the following should not be telecast on a private television channel:

-  obscenity
-  attack on religions or communities
-  visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups
-  content which promotes communal attitudes
-  content  which  criticizes,  maligns  or  slanders  any  individual  in  person  or certain groups, segments of social, public and moral life of the country

Further, the  Advertising Code,  inter-alia,  stipulates that  indecent,  vulgar, suggestive, repulsive or offensive themes or treatment shall be avoided in all advertisements.

The Central Government has also established a statutory mechanism for redressal of grievances/ complaints of violation of Programme and Advertising Codes. As per the three-level  grievance  redressal  mechanism,  any  complaints  regarding  the  content broadcast by private satellite TV channels, are dealt as follows:

-  Level-I: directly received and disposed of by the Broadcaster
-  Level -II: Self-Regulating Bodies of the Broadcasters
-  Level-III provides for Oversight mechanism by the Central Government.

The Government acts against private satellite TV channels by issuance of advisories, warnings,  apology  scroll  orders  and  off-air  orders  etc.  The  Ministry  also  issues Advisories  from  time  to  time  to  private  satellite  TV  channels  for  adhering  to  the Programme Code and Advertising Code.

The details of action taken by this Ministry in last 5 years in respect of all violations of the Programme Code and Advertising Code as under:

| S. No.   | Description                     | 2021   | 2022   | 2023   | 2024   | 2025   |   Total |
|----------|---------------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|---------|
| 1        | Advisories to specific channels | 5      | 7      | 14     | 3      | 6      |      35 |
| 2        | Warnings                        | 25     | 6      | 17     | 1      | 1      |      50 |
| 3        | Orders for Apology Scrolls      | 11     | 39     | 3      | -      | 1      |      54 |
| 4        | Off-air Orders                  | -      | -      | 3      | -      | -      |       3 |
| 5        | Cancellation of permission      | 1      | -      | -      | -      | -      |       1 |
| 6        | Order for disclaimer            | 1      | -      | -      | -      | -      |       1 |
|          | TOTAL                           | 43     | 52     | 37     | 4      | 8      |     144 |

Apart from above, the Government takes all possible steps to curb violations by other media platforms, which include:

-  Print  media: Newspapers  have  to  adhere  to  'Norms  of  Journalistic  Conduct' brought out by the Press Council of India (PCI). These norms, inter-alia, restrain publication of fake/ defamatory/ misleading news. The Council holds inquiry into alleged violations of the norms, as per section 14 of the PCI Act, and may warn, admonish or censure the newspaper, editors, journalists, etc. as the case may be.
-  Digital media: For the publishers of news and current affairs on digital media and publishers  of  online  curated  content,  the  Information  Technology  (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021) provides

for a Code of Ethics along with a three-level institutional mechanism for redressal of grievance relating to violation of Code of Ethics by such publishers.

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