India: Government seeks to ban “unpermitted” channels
July 20, 2018
By Chris Forrester
India’s Jammu & Kashmir regional government is asking local cable MSOs and cable operators to immediately drop at least 30 “banned private satellite channels” in order to maintain “peace and tranquility” in the Northern India region, which borders the Himalaya mountains and Pakistan.
The Times of India newspaper is reporting that last week cable operators were asked to bar retransmission of unpermitted and banned private satellite channels, including Geo, Qtv, Saudi Quran, Paigam and Peace TV Urdu.
The notification from the region’s Additional District Commissioner stated: “Jammu & Kashmir home department has reported that you are telecasting and transmitting unpermitted and banned private satellite channels within Srinigar. In the larger interest of public and maintenance of peace and tranquility to prohibit [you] from transmitting TV channels which are not permitted.”
The order says that failure to remove the channels would place the operators in breach of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995, and action will be taken against you.