“In the serial, the district magistrate has not only been portrayed as corrupt and as a womaniser, but his lust for women defies all logic. The entire characterisation appears to be a grotesque caricature of a district administrator,” the notice says.
The notice specifies one episode in which women are paraded before the district magistrate on his request. He is also shown to be indulging in blackmailing tactics while investigating a case of female foeticide.
“There is no denial of the fact that portrayal of a public authority in a negative role is well within the rights of a creative medium. However, in the democratic set up of our country, the district magistrate is the chief representative of the government at the district level. Deliberately portraying a character in a derogatory way appears to demean the public institution and bring it to disrepute unnecessarily,” the notice says.
The ministry has directed the channel to reply to the notice within 15 days, adding that the channel appeared to be violating the provisions of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, regarding decency, obscenity and defamatory, deliberate, false and suggestive innuendos and half-truths.
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