I&B Ministry again bans MediaOne news channel citing ‘security reasons’; HC stays order

 

Kochi: The Union Government on Monday barred the telecast of Malayalam news channel MediaOne claiming ‘security reasons’, without providing details on the matter.

‘The telecast of MediaOne channel has once again been disallowed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, citing security reasons. The Government has not been forthcoming with the details’, Pramod Raman, the Editor of MediaOne, said, adding that the channel was taking legal steps for its restoration. Meanwhile, the High Court stayed the execution of the order for two days. The court sought an explanation from the central government in this regard. The petition will be considered again on Wednesday.

Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan said the I&B ministry banned the telecast without citing reasons, and termed the move as ‘undemocratic’. ‘The banning of telecast of MediaOne channel without citing any reason was undemocratic. This is against natural justice. The Union government has a responsibility to cite the reason behind the ban. The government is trying to implement the agenda of Sangh Parivar which has been intolerant against unpleasant truths’, he said. He added that the ban amounts to attack on media freedom.

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MediaOne, along with Asianet news was briefly suspended for 48 hours over their coverage of communal violence in Delhi in 2020, with the official orders then saying they covered the Delhi violence in a manner that ‘highlighted the attack on places of worship and siding towards a particular community’. ‘Channel’s reporting on Delhi violence seems to be biased as it is deliberately focusing on the vandalism of CAA supporters’ the ministry order on Media One had said. ‘It also questions RSS and alleges Delhi Police inaction. Channel seems to be critical towards Delhi Police and RSS’, the statement added. The ban was imposed was widely criticised back then and was allegedly in violation of cable network rules.