HC grants interim stay on I&B ban on Care World channel

The Bombay High Court today granted interim stay till November 24 on the seven-day ban imposed by I&B Ministry on health and wellness channel Care World TV for allegedly showing "objectionable" content.
Hearing a petition filed by the channel challenging the ban imposed by Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Justice M S Karnik granted interim relief for a fortnight and asked the Government to file a reply by November 23.
The vacation bench also asked the petitioner to move a regular bench on November 24 to get the matter listed before it for further hearing.
Care World, a 24 x 7 channel, has been telecasting programmes on its network for the last ten years, according to its Chairman Atul Saraf.

The I&B Ministry had earlier directed 'Care World TV channel' to be taken off air for seven days from tomorrow for objectionable content. It alleged that the channel had put out indecent content after which Inter Ministerial Committee (IMC) looked into the matter.
Based on its recommendation, the Ministry issued the order which said that 'Care World TV channel' should be taken off the air for a week from November 9.

The Government had issued show cause notice to the channel alleging that it was showing obscene programmes, which the channel, in its petition, contended were baseless and that no obscenity or indecency is shown by it.

The channel had telecast programmes on sexual disorders in its programmes in which doctors had given their views on sexual disorders.
"Our programmes are being telecast since last ten years and no complaints had been received from any quarters so far until the recent government ban," said the channel's Chairman.
The programmes of 'Care World TV' are educative and bring about awareness among the audience, the petition prayed and urged for lifting the government ban on the channel.