Taking congizance of complaints made by certain NGOs and public organisations, the government has issued show cause notice to a Hindi television channel allegedly narrating "gory details" of how Nithari killer Surender Koli carried out murder of his victims.
"The channel Aaj Tak has been asked to reply to our notice. The programme aired last week was gory narrating details of Koli's methods of murder. What news interest it serves?" a senior Information and Broadcasting ministry official said.
The notice was issued on Friday and the channel has been given two weeks time to file its reply.
"There were complaints from public and some NGOs that the programme was doing harm to the children's mindset. We have acted on those complaints," the official added.
The sources said the showcause was issued under several rules of the Programme and Advertising Code under the Cable Television Network Regulation Act.
Rule 6(1-,1-d) ) bars any programme which "offends against good taste or decency... Contains anything obscene, defamatory, deliberate, false and suggestive innuendos and half truths."
Rule 6(5) says "the programmes unsuitable for children must not be carried in the cable service at times when the largest numbers of children are viewing."
The ministry also invoked Rule 5(o) of the Cinematographic Act as applied to the code, proscribing any programme that is "not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition".
