HC stays MIB order against Care World

HC stays MIB order against Care World

ajit gupta

NEW DELHI: Even as NDTV has gone to court and the MIB order against it held in abeyance, the Bombay High Court today stayed the order of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry directing a one-week ban against Care World India.

Justice M S Karnik directed the I&B Ministry to file its reply within two weeks and listed the matter for hearing on 23 November 2016. The order would remain stayed till 24 November.

Seven Star Satellite Pvt Ltd counsel Mayur Khandeparkar told the court that a show cause had been issued to the channel which had also been given a hearing by the Inter-Ministerial Committee, but the final order indicated that none of the argument given by the channel had been taken into consideration and “therefore it is not a reasoned order."

Care World had been banned since the midnight of 9 November to midnight of 16 November 2016. The order was issued under section 20(2) and 20(3) of the Cable Televisions Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 and some provisions of the Uplinking guidelines.

Khandeparkar also said that the programme ‘Kya Karun main ab’ against which the ministerial order had come had already been taken off air and subsequent episodes would only be telecast subject to the final order of the court.

The judge also said in his order that the channel would not be permitted to broadcast this programme till its interim order was vacated.