Clarify on TV contents regulation: Madras High Court

Chennai: The Madras high court has posted to August 18, further hearing of a public interest litigation, which sought to stall the realty show “Bigg Boss” from telecasting. When the PIL filed by Cine Saravanan, came up for hearing on Friday before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M.Sundar, senior counsel P.S. Raman, appearing for Kamal Haasan submitted that there are two bodies functioning to regulate the channels. One is self regulatory one functioning under the head of a retired Supreme Court judge called as “Broadcasting complaints council”, the other one is by the Government of India regulating all the channels under information and broadcasting ministry and only these two bodies were the competent authorities to regulate the channels, he added.

After hearing his arguments, the bench directed assistant solicitor general Su.Srinivasan to clarify the functions of broadcasting complaints council and the other council constituted under the Union ministry. In his petition, Saravanan alleged that the Tamil reality show of Kamal Haasan plays with the mental emotions and the behaviours of the female contestants in the show were very vulgur and obscene. To protect Tamil culture and tradition and in the interest/welfare of the general public, the show Big Boss must be stalled from being telecast.