HC asks Centre to file reply on petition challenging

The Allahabad High Court oday asked the Centre to file its reply on a petition challenging the notification whereby installation of settop boxes had been made compulsory for all television viewers across Uttar Pradesh.
A division bench, comprising Justice Dilip Gupta and Justice Mukhtar Ahmad, passed the order on the petition of Allahabad Cable Network which had challenged the notification of the Ministry of Information dated November 14, 2015 whereby a deadline of December 31 had been set for installation of set-top boxes in the state.
The petitioner had claimed that the Centre had, while faced with similar petitions, submitted before the Mumbai High Court and the Punjab and Haryana High Court that "settop boxes would not be made compulsory" and hence the same should not be made mandatory for television viewers of UP.

The high court, while directing the I&B Ministry to file its counter affidavit, fixed January 28 as the next date of hearing in the matter.