Delhi HC seeks response from TV channels on producers' plea
The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notices to Republic TV and Times Now, asking them to respond to Bollywood producers' plea seeking to restrain the news channels from making allegedly irresponsible and derogatory remarks about the film industry. The petition against the said channels was filed last month. Here are more details on this.
Court directed channels to follow established rules
The court directed the channels to adhere by the programme code and rules framed under Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act, 1995. There should be free and fair reportage coupled with neutrality, the court added. Justice Rajiv Shakdher told the channels to ensure that no defamatory content is displayed or uploaded against the plaintiffs. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for December 14.
You can't run maligning campaign, HC tells media houses
"You represent the fourth estate. People are scared of you. No one wants to have their private life to be dragged in public domain. The privacy gets diluted," the judge said.
Over 30 leading filmmakers had filed the case
The case was filed by more than 30 Bollywood producers against Republic TV, its Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, Times Now and its anchor Navika Kumar, among others. Those who filed the lawsuit included production companies of Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Karan Johar, Ajay Devgn, Arbaaz Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Ashutosh Gowariker, Kabir Khan, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and Vishal Bhardwaj, among others.
Producers slammed 'irresponsible and derogatory' remarks
In the petition, the filmmakers said that these channels should refrain from making or publishing "irresponsible, derogatory and defamatory remarks against Bollywood and its members." They also asked that they be restrained from conducting media trials of film personalities and violating their privacy. These channels used "highly derogatory" words and expressions for the film industry, the producers alleged.
Earlier, some news channels were asked to apologize
Earlier, the News Broadcasting Standard Authority (NBSA) took action against a number of news channels over insensitive coverage of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. Aaj Tak was fined Rs. 1 lakh, while channels like India TV, ZEE News and News24 were asked to apologize.
