Lok Sabha Question No. 2334 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-11
Subject: Anti India Message
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: SAUGATA ROY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2334 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11103/12016

## ANTI INDIA MESSAGE

## 2334. PROF. SAUGATAROY:

## Will the Minister of INFORMATION  AND BROADCASTING

## be oleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government  has taken a suo motu cognizance  or received complaints of electronic/print media which promotes  anti Indian messages, spreading rumours for communal violence in the country;
- (b) if so, the details  thereof  and the action taken so far on various  visual and orint media in this regard; and
- (c) the concrete  steps taken  by the Government to avoid the airing of such types of news and visuals?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION  & BROADCASTING ICOL  RAJYAVARDHAN RATHoRE (Retd.)l

(a) to (c): Programmes  and advertisements  telecast on private  satellite TV channels are governed  by the Programme  and Advertising  Codes  prescribed  under the Cable Television  Network  (Regulation) Act, 1995 and the rules framed thereunder.  The Act does not provide  for pre-censorship  of the programmes  and advertisements  aired on these channels.  However, all these channels are required  to adhere to the Programme and Advertisement codes which provide for a whole range of parameters  to be adhered to for programmes  on ry channels. There are specific provisions  available in the Programme  and Advertisement  Code which are as un0er:-

## Proqramme Code:

Rule 6(1) No programme  should  be transmitted/re{ransmitted on any cable service, which-

(c): contains attack on religions or communities or visuals or words contemptuous  of religious  groups  or which  promote communal attitudes.

- (e): is likely to encourage  or incite violence or contains anything against maintenance of law and order or which promote-anti-national  attitudes.
- (h): Contains anything  affecting the integrity of the Nation.

## Advertisinq  Code

Rule 7(2): No advertisement  shall be permitted which-

- (ii) is against any provision  of the Constitution  of India.
- (v) exploits the national emblem,  or any part  of the Constitution or the  person  or personality  of a national leader or a State dignitary.

Action is taken whenever  any violation  is brought to the notice of this Ministry. Details of action taken for the financial  year  2012-13,2013-14,2014-15  and 2015-16 in such matters are  placed  at Annexurel.

In so far as Print Media is concerned,  the  press  Council of lndia  (pCl), a statutory  autonomous body has been set up under the  press  Council  Act, 197g to maintain and improve the standards  of newspapers and news agencies  in India and also to inculcate  principles  of self-regulation among  the press.  There is no  precensorship  by the Government  of India in the print media sector. The  pCl, in furtherance  of its objective  under Section 13(2\  ol the Act has formulated ,Norms of Journalistic  Conduct' for adherence by the print  media. The relevant Norm 23 on the subject  'Paramount National  Interest' is placed  at Annexurell.  The  pOl  takes cognizance,  suo-motu  or on complaints,  of the contents  in  print  media which are in violation  of the'Norms of Journalistic  Conduct'.  As per section  14 of the Act, the Council,  after holding an inquiry, may warn, admonish  or censure the newspaper, the news agency, the editor or the journalist  or disapprove  the conduct  of the editor or the  journalist  as the case may be.

A list of adjudications rendered by the PCI for the financial yeat 2012-13, 2013-14,2014-15  and 2015-16 on Anti National Writings  and Communal Violence  is olaced  at Annexurelll.

## ANNEXURE AS REFERRED TO lN PARTS  lal TO {c) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2334 FOR 11.03.2016

## Action  taken aeainst  T.V. channels  since 2012-13 to 2015-2015

## 20t2-2013

| st. No.   | Name of the Channal                 | Dato of Show Cause Notice   | Reason for Show Cause Notice                                                                                                                                                                       | Details of action taken                                  |
|-----------|-------------------------------------|-----------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|
|           | All News & Current Affairs channels | No SCN                      | Direct Telecast of the events round the clock relating to public demonstration likely to encourage violence and against maintenance of law and order and likely to promote anti National attitude. | An Advisory dated 23.12.20'12 was issued to the channel. |
|           | All News & Current Affairs channels | No SCN                      | Direct Telecast of the events round the clock relating to public demonstration likely to encourage violence and against maintenance of law and order and likely to promote anti National attitude. | An Advisory dated 29.12.2012 was issued to the channel   |
|           | Sadhna TV                           | 03.08.12                    | Telecast of programme AdhyatamikGyanCharcha" showing content contemptuous of religious groups, defamatory and content likely to encourage violence                                                 | A Warning dated 06.03.2013 was issued to the channel.    |

## 2013-2014

|   4. | All News & Current Affairs channels   | No SCN      | Telecast of inflammatory and provocative news/programmes in a sensational manner.                                                    | An Advisory dated 20.09.2013 was issued to the channel.   |
|------|---------------------------------------|-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|    5 | Zee TV                                | 18.09.20 13 | Telecast of a serial 'Jodha Akbai' containing content promoting communal attitudes, encouraging violence and also defamatorv content | wamrng dated 20.03.2014 was issued to channel the         |

## 2014-20't5

| sl. No.   | Name of the Chann6l   | Date of Show Cause Notice   | Reason for Show Cause Notice                                             | Details of action taken                               |
|-----------|-----------------------|-----------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
|           | Headline s Today      | 't7 .09.2013                | Telecast of special programme called "Muzaffarnagar Conspiracy Exposed'. | A warning dated 31.10.2014 was issued to lhe channel  |
| 7.        | Sudarsha nTV          | 11.09.2014                  | Telecast of programme called "SiyaasiDango Mai UP".                      | A warning dated 3'1.10.2014 was issued to the channel |

|   8, | All News Channels   | No SCN     | Telecast of documentary Programme India's Daughter                               | An Advisory dated 03.03.2015 was issued to the all News channels restraining not to telecast the said documentary Dro0ramme.   |
|------|---------------------|------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|    9 | AII TV Channel      | No SCN     | Telecast of live coverage of counter-terrorism ooerations.                       | An Advisory dated 20.03.2015 was issued to all TV channels.                                                                    |
|   10 | w9                  | 14.O8.2014 | Telecast a 'Bullet New6' oolitical satire targeting Chief Minister of Telangana. | An order was issued on 27.03.2015 to the channel for running apology scroll.                                                   |

## 2015-2016

|    | Aljazeera TV      | 21.08.2014   | Telecast of News report carried wrong graphical map of Indiarepeatedly.                            | An order was issued on 10.04.2015 to the channel to prohibit the transmission or r+transmission of channel for 5 dav.   |
|----|-------------------|--------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12 | Sathiyam TV       | 16.12.2014   | Telecast of ojectionableprogramme 'UngalAseervathaseram' and PaarthathumPadithathum bv Sathiyam TV | A waming dated 12.05.2015 was issued to the channel                                                                     |
| 13 | All News Channels | No SCN       | Telecast of live coverage of any anti- terrorist operation by security forces,                     | An Advisory dated 27.07.2015 was issued to all News Channels                                                            |

## ANNEXURE  AS REFERRX,D  TO IN PARTS {a) TO  (c)  OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED OUESTION NO. 2334 FOR 11.03.2016

## EXTRACT OF NOR]VIS OF JOURNALISTIC  COI\DUCT

## 23. Paramount  National Interest

- i) Newspapers  shall, as a matter of self-regulation,  exercise due restraint  and caution in presenting any news, comment or information which is likely to jeopardise,  endanger  or harm the paramount interests of the State and society, or the rights of individuals with respect to which reasonable restrictions  may be imposed  by law on the right to freedom of speech and expression under clause (2) of Article 19 ofthe Constitution  oflndia.
2. ii) Publication of wrong/incorrect map is a very serious offence.  It adversely affects  the territorial  integrity of the country and warrants prompt and prominent retraction with regrets.

**'l'|*

## ANNEXURE  AS REFERRED TO IN PARTS (a)  TO  (c)  OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED ouEsTroN No. 2334 FOR 1r.03.2016

## Adiudications rendered  bv the PCI on  'Anti  National  Writines and Communal Violence'

## 2012-2013

| S. N.   | Parties                                                                                                                                          | Date of decision   | Category                   |
|---------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------|----------------------------|
| I       | Complaint of Dr. I.A. Khan Anzana, President, Khankaha Sufi Didar Shah Chisti, Thane, Maharashtra against the Editor, Saptpami, Gorakphpur, U.P. | 27 August,2012     | Censured.                  |
| 2.      | Complaint of Shri Sohan Das, State Secretary, Haryana Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Rohtak, Haryana against the Editor, Dainik Jagran, Hissar, Haryana     | 21 December,2012   | Disposed off               |
| J.      | Complaint of Shri Binod Kumar Sinha, Dhanbad, Jharkhand against the Editor, Public Magazine, New Delhi                                           | 2l Decembet 2012   | Dismissed                  |
| i       | Complaint of Shri S.C. Kapoor, Wing Commander (Retd.), NOIDA, UP against the Editor, The Times of India^ New Delhi                               | 2l December, 2012  | Dismissed                  |
| 5.      | Complaint of Shri Rubabudin Sheikh, Ujjain, M.P. against the Editor, Swadesh, Indore, M.P.                                                       | 18 February, 2013  | Censured                   |
| 6.      | Complaint of Prof. N.K. Jain, Registrar, Doctor Harsingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar, M.P. against the Editor, Dainik Jagran, Bhopal, M.P.       | 18 February, 201 3 | Dismissed with observation |

## 2013-2014

|   I | Complaint of Shri Sudhir Neerattupuram, Kerala against the Editor, Mangalam Daily, Kerala   | 26 March,2014   | Dismissed Complainant's locus in the matter not established   |
|-----|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|   2 | Complaint of Shri A. Thaha, Hyderabad against the Editor, The Hindu, Chennai                | 26March,2014    | Dismissed - No action against respondent warranted            |

## 20r4-20rs

| I   | Complaint of Shri L.S. Herdenia, Bhopal against the Editor. Panchianya. New Delhi   | 2 Jrne,2014   | Dismissed default   | for   |
|-----|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------|---------------------|-------|

## 20r5-2016

| -NIL-   |
|---------|