The Private Satellite Cable Television Channels are required to adhere to the Advertising Code &Programme Code framed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and rules framed thereunder, which inter alia provides that no programme should be telecast which contains attack on religions or communities or visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups or which promote communal attitudes or which criticizes, maligns or slanders any individual in person or certain groups, segments of social, public and moral life of the country.

The Central Government has also notified Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021 vide notification No. G.S.R. 416(E) dated 17.06.2021 thereby establishing a statutory mechanism for redressal of grievances/ complaints of violation of Programme and Advertising Codes. The Rules provide for three level complaint redressal mechanisms, Level I by the broadcaster, Level II by the self-regulating bodies of the broadcasters, and Level III by oversight mechanism of the Central Government. The Government takes action against Private TV channels by issuance of Advisories, Warnings, Apology Scroll Orders and Off-air Orders etc. The Ministry also issues Advisories from time to time to private satellite TV channels for adhering to the Programme Code.

As per the Three Level Grievance Redressal Mechanism, at Level-I and Level -II any complaints regarding the content of the programme of a channel, are directly received and disposed of by the Broadcaster and Self-Regulating Bodies of the Broadcasters. As such this Ministry does not exercise direct jurisdiction or oversight over these Level-III provides for Oversight mechanism by the Central Government. The details of action taken by this Ministry in last 5 years as under:

Summary of action taken year-wise since 2021-2025

This Information was submitted by the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan in the Rajya Sabha today in response to questions asked by Shri Raghav Chadha.

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Mahesh Kumar