SC to hear plea by Malayalam news channel against ban

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea by Malayalam news channel Media One against the Kerala High Court's order, which upheld the Centre's decision not to renew its telecast licence on the ground of national security.

A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and comprising Justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli agreed to list the petition for hearing on March 10.

Senior advocate Dushyant Dave mentioned the plea for urgent hearing on behalf of the channel.

"We have been shut down due to some secret files from the Home Ministry and the court has justified it behind our back. It's too serious a matter relating to the right to information and freedom of press," he said.

For 11 years, the organisation has functioned and the channel has 350 employees and millions of viewers, Dave said.

Media One, supposed to have support of the Kerala chapter of Jamaat-e-Islami, approached the top court after the Kerala High Court on March 2 upheld the ban imposed on it by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on January 31.

When certain issues with respect to the security of the state are concerned, the government is at liberty to decline to renew the permission granted, without disclosing the complete reasons for the non-renewal of licence, the division bench had said.

The HC had then dismissed the appeals filed by the channel's management and journalists against February 9 order by the single-bench, which refused to lift the ban.

The channel run by Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited had earlier faced a 48-hour ban in connection with its reporting on Delhi riots in 2020.

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