NEW DELHI: Entertainment channel Comedy Central was taken off air in India for six days after a court upheld a ruling by government regulators who took offence to simulated sex scenes and “vulgar” language.
The order that came into effect from midnight resulted from a court battle between the government and media company Viacom 18, which launched the 24-hour English language channel in India in January 2012.
Two of the channel’s shows — “Stand Up Club” and “Popcorn” — came under the scrutiny of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting last year for showing content that was considered indecent.
The scenes “depicted women as a commodity of sex” and posed a threat to “public morality or morals,” according to a notice issued to the broadcaster at the time.
The government found scenes in “Popcorn”, including one that showed someone simulating sex with a dummy, “to be vulgar, obscene, offending good taste and not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition and children,” the court said.
Although the channel was shut down for four days last year, it was allowed to recommence broadcasts pending an appeal against the ban that was finally heard on Monday at the Delhi High Court.
The judges ruled the government acted lawfully in ordering the suspension, and the channel must therefore go off air for the remaining six days of the original ban. It was also told to pay a `20,000 ($320) fine.
The temporary ban has shone a spotlight on some of the rules and regulations for satellite broadcasters that experts say are in breach of constitutional provisions on freedom of expression.
Actress Khushboo joins Congress
New Delhi: Actor Khushboo Sundar yesterday officially joined the Congress, nearly six months after quitting the DMK.
“I finally feel I am home,” she told reporters after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Following her victory in the legal battle over her controversial remarks on pre-marital sex, the south Indian actress began her political career with the DMK in 2010 when it was in power in Tamil Nadu.
However, she quit the DMK in June, saying her “hard work for the DMK had been a one-way path”.
In the absence of senior leader and former union minister G K Vasan who quit the Congress and floated a new party in Chennai recently, Khushboo’s entry is being seen as someone who could strengthen the Congress based on her political experience.
“Yes, she will add strength to the party, and we will utilise her based on her experience and stature,” said Tom Vadakkan, secretary of the Congress’ media wing.
The Congress failed to win any Lok Sabha seat in Tami Nadu. And Vasan’s exit only added to the party’s woes.
Agencies
