HC rejects PIL challenging ban on condom ads telecast between 6 am to 10 pm

The Delhi High Court Monday dismissed a plea seeking quashing of the Centre's notification banning telecast of condom advertisements between 6.00 am to 10.00 pm, saying it was not going to interfere with a "conscious policy decision" of the government.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar said the court will be "extremely slow in interfering with a policy of the government" unless it was violating the Constitution or any other law.

The court further said it has "no expert knowledge" about the issue and there was "no violation of the Constitution or any other law in force" by the government's decision.

"It is a conscious policy decision of the government. We see no reason to interfere with it," the bench said, dismissing the petition challenging the Centre's December 11, 2017 notification by which condom advertisements were banned between 6.00 am to 10.00 pm.

The petitioner, Sarita Barpanda, in her plea had said condom advertisements were banned between those timings on the ground that they were "indecent/inappropriate for viewing by children".

The plea, filed through advocate Sneha Mukherjee, had contended that the decision was taken without indicating how such advertisements were indecent or repulsive.

It had further said creating awareness of condom usage amongst adolescents and children bears no proven correlation to creating "interest in unhealthy practices".