Updated: September 17, 2020 2:03:52 pm
Sudarshan TV is directed by Suresh Chavhanke. (File photo)
The Center has urged the Supreme Court to limit the matter to a Sudarshan News program, which claimed to “expose” the “infiltration of Muslims” into the public administration, to the channel and not to establish “further guidelines” for the rest of the main media.
In an affidavit presented to the court, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that the question of “balance between the freedom of the journalist and responsible journalism is a field already occupied by the legal provisions issued by Parliament or by the judgments” of the court.
The government said that “in view of the fact that the issue has already received attention from Parliament, as well as from this Honorable Court, the present petition will be limited to a single channel, namely Sudarshan TV, and this Honorable Court cannot carry out the exercise of establishing new guidelines with or without appointment of an Amicus or a Committee of people like Amicus ”.
He argued that “the factual situation in each case will have to be decided on a case-by-case basis and a broader exercise that is too general in nature is not justified or allowed.”
The Center added that “if the court decides to carry out the exercise, it must first be done with regard to digital media, as there is already a sufficient framework and judicial pronouncements regarding electronic and print media.”
A bench of three Supreme Court justices had on September 15 prevented Sudarshan News from broadcasting the remaining episodes of your show. While doing so, the CV had hinted that it planned to establish a panel to suggest guidelines for electronic media.
Editorial | Sorry, Your Honor: the show vilifies Muslims, but previous restraint sets a dangerous precedent when dissent is criminalized and the courts are awkwardly
Presenting its point of view in this regard, the government said that “even if the court deems it appropriate to carry out such an exercise, there is no justification to limit this exercise to only the main electronic media.”
The media, he noted, “include the main electronic media, the main print media, as well as a parallel medium, namely the digital print media and the web-based digital news portal and YouTube channels, as well as the platforms. ‘Over The Top’ [OTTs]”.
He said that “while in the mainstream media [whether electronic or print], TV posting / broadcasting is a one-time act, digital media has a faster reach of a wider audience / readers range and has the potential to go viral due to various electronic applications such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook ”.
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