Action against 160 TV channels for anti-India content: Govt

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 3

The government on Thursday said it was concerned about the freedom of speech and expression and that the country was not in the times of 1975 or the Emergency.

Youtube, FB channels too were blocked

The government has initiated action against 160 TV channels and blocked 60 channels on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages as their content was against the integrity and safety of the nation. — L Murugan, Minister of state for information and broadcasting

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan told the Rajya Sabha that the government had initiated action against 160 TV channels and blocked 60 channels on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages as their content was against the integrity and safety of the nation.

Replying to supplementary query, the minister said, “Our government is concerned about the freedom of speech and expression... We are not in 1975. We are not in Emergency.”

Murugan was responding to a question by opposition member KC Venugopal, who alleged that the government was misusing penal provisions to curb the freedom of speech and expression.

The minister also noted that the Press Council of India and a three-tier mechanism was in place to check the content. This, he further said, included self-regulatory mechanism and self-regulatory bodies and if the grievances were not sorted out, only then does the inter-departmental committee takes up and sorts out the issues.

“We wish to inform you that we have initiated 160 cases against TV channels,” the minister said in the House.

Asked about the action against MediaOne channel, the minister said, “We are not doing anything on MediaOne. Whatever permissions to channels are being given (are) after the Home Ministry gives security clearance. MediaOne matter is sub-judice also.”

He added: “Within two months, our government initiated action against 60 channels on social media, including YouTube and Facebook and Twitter, whose contents were against the nation and against the integrity and safety of the nation. We cannot tolerate it.”

In a written reply to a separate question, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said all programmes telecast on private satellite TV channels were required to adhere to the programme code laid down in Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994.

The rules inter-alia provide that no programme should be carried in the cable service which is likely to encourage or incite violence or contains anything against maintenance of law and order or which promote anti-national attitudes.

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