MURDOCH GETS REPRIEVE IN OBSCENITY CASE

Global media baron Rupert Murdoch - who is the prime accused in an obscenity case in a Delhi court -- will not have to visit it after all. The court had ordered the ministry of economic affairs (MEA) to proceed with attempts to have Murdoch extradited from the US after he had failed to receive and respond to summons relating to the case. The MEA last week wrote to the Delhi court that the charges leveled against Murdoch in the case were not covered under the Indo-US extradition treaty and hence it couldn't do anything about it.

Murdoch is being legally prosecuted in India in relation to the airing of obscene movies on his Star TV network in 1995-96. A lawyer Arun Aggarwal had in December 1996 filed a petition against Murdoch, in which he had also named Star TV's India chief executive R. Basu and 24 other cable operators. He had complained that by showing obscene movies on his network Murdoch had violated the Indian Cinematography Act and the Indian Penal Code.

The court has issued summons on several occasions to which Murdoch has turned a blind eye. On 6 July this year, the court issued an arrest warrant against him and when he had failed to respond to that too, it had told the MEA to go-ahead with extradition efforts.

Now with the failure of the MEA to execute the order, industry insiders are questioning the merits of the case and are wondering whether the entire exercise is a witch-hunt of sorts.