Government revokes ban on Janmat TV

The Central Government on Friday revoked a ban on Janmat TV Channel, which was imposed for telecasting a deliberate and false sting operation on a Delhi school teacher, Uma Khurana.

New Delhi, Oct 12 : The Central Government on Friday revoked a ban on Janmat TV Channel, which was imposed for telecasting a "deliberate" and "false" sting operation on a Delhi school teacher, Uma Khurana.

The Centre had imposed a prohibition of one month, with effect from September 20 to October 20, on transmission and re-transmission of the channel for telecasting a sting operation, which was later found to be defamatory, deliberate, false.

The report was found to be containing suggestive innuendos and half truths, incited violence and content against maintenance of law and order. According to the government, it criticized, maligned and slandered an individual in person and it denigrated children.

The decision to revoke the prohibition imposed on transmission and re-transmission of Janmat TV, with effect from October 12 midnight, was taken after the channel submitted that there was no deliberate attempt by it to defame anybody by telecast of the sting operation.

The channel said it had exercised all due diligence and care as per prevailing industry practice, and it subsequently emerged that the reporter had misled them and unfortunately the sting operation telecast on August 30 took a different shape.

A statement of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the channel has assured that it was committed to "effectively using journalism in the best interests of the nation and society by following the highest standards of journalism and that they would be observing and minutely complying with all the relevant provisions of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and the requisite license conditions."

ANI