PIL in HC to cancel Radio One licence for airing obscene show

The Delhi High Court today sought response of the Centre and Radio One Ltd on a plea seeking revoking of the FM channel's licence for allegedly airing talk shows in which "vulgar and obscene language" was used.
The PIL, which was listed before a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar, also seeks cancellation of the grant of permission agreement entered between the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Radio One, which operates a FM channel at 94.3 MHz frequency.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on September 7 by when the ministry, the radio channel and Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd have to file their replies to the petition by a lawyer.

Petitioner Krish Kalra has contended in his plea that the FM channel in its 'Drive Delhi' show, broadcast between 5pm to 10pm, has on several occasions allegedly used "obscene and vulgar language".
The petition, filed through advocates Anuj Mirdha and Anshu Bhanot, contends that airing of shows having such language violates a October 2012 advisory issued by the ministry asking radio channels to ensure that no content, messages, advertisement or communication, broadcast by them was objectionable.
The petition has referred to shows aired on May 11, May 14 and May 18 and contended that on all those days they contained objectionable language and words.

Kalra has contended in his plea that the government has "violated its obligations under the law of the land as it has failed to regulate and scrutinize broadcasting of such vulgar and objectionable content over radio".