Rajasthan HC notice to Centre on condom ads restriction

The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Centre to explain why it issued an order saying condom advertisements cannot be shown on TV between 6 am and 10 pm.

The court has issued a notice to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, as well as to the secretary to the central government and the principal health secretary, asking it to explain the reasoning behind the government's move.

The high court's notice comes in response to a public interest litigation filed by an NGO challenging the decision.

While the ministries are likely to seek legal direction before filing their respective replies in the high court, their explanations could possibly be derived from the advisory  the I&B ministry sent to television networks on December 12.

On December 11, the I&B ministry said it was issuing an order on condom advertisements, restricting when they can be shown, because of complaints that their repeated airing was unsuitable for some viewers.