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MUMBAI:
Supreme Court has granted the Centre four weeks to submit
guidelines for regulating contents of programmes telecast
by TV channels on the lines of those evolved by the Indian
Broadcasting Foundation (IBF).
Additional
solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam tabled before a bench
of Justices BN Aggrawal and GS Singhvi the "draft television
content code" framed by the IBF aimed at ensuring responsible
coverage by TV channels in a manner acceptable to all viewers,
reports PTI.
In
an earlier hearing, Subramaniam had told the bench that the
Centre, instead of being seen as a regulator, would like to
adopt the self-regulatory code evolved by the IBF, subject
to the final approval by the Government. The draft guidelines
tabled in the apex court today come in that backdrop.
NGO
Common Cause had earlier filed public interest litigation
(PIL) in the apex court seeking regulatory measures to curb
the "growing obscenity, violence and other disturbing"
contents being shown by some TV channels.
According
to the code, it would be the responsibility of the broadcasters
that nothing is included in the programmes of any television
service which is against public interest, national harmony
or which genuinely offends good taste and decency.
Among
other things, the self-regulatory code seeks to ensure that
social issues like institution of marriage should be treated
with responsibility, while issues like adultery, promiscuity,
sex, obscenity and nudity should not be promoted.
"Portrayals
of sexual behaviour should be discreet and infrequent. Sexual
innuendos or suggestiveness should not be crude and offensive,"
the code stated.
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