New Delhi :The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre’s counsel that in past three years’ how many channels had applied for renewal of licence but were not allowed to continue pending the decision, while hearing a plea by a Kannada news channel which extensively telecasted a sex scandal involving former JDS MP Prajwal Revanna, and his family.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud extended its stay on the Karnataka High Court's order, which restrained Power TV from broadcasting in the absence of proper licence. Power TV had extensively covered sex scandal allegedly involving Revanna, and his family.
The bench, also comprising justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, asked additional solicitor general Vikramjit Banerjee that in the last three years’ in how many cases such channels had applied for renewal of licence, but they were not allowed to continue, as the decision was pending. The Centre’s counsel replied that the channel was issued a show cause notice but it failed to come up with a response. The bench queried, can channels be shut down like this? After hearing submissions, the apex court scheduled the matter for further hearing on July 22.