Banned cable TV in Banihal resumes functioning’

DEO indicts ‘erring’ operators under RPC-171H for telecasting without consent

P S BALI

Jammu, Nov 23: The banned Cable operators in Banihal have resumed functioning after they got stay over the ‘ban orders’ of election officer, from the high court. However District Election Officer (DEO) indicted ‘erring’ operators under RPC-171H for telecasting political activities without consent of the candidate.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, DEO Ramban, Farooq Shah Bukhari said that although the cable operators got stay over the order and have resumed functioning after twelve days of ban, but charges on them of violating MCC stands intact.

However, for ‘breaching’ MCC earlier, the cable service operators in the Banihal have been charged under RPC-171H for telecasting political activities without consent of the candidate.

DEO said that before indicting cable operators under RPC-171H, they have also served notice to candidate to explain his stand in the case. “The candidate denied any knowledge of the issue and said that the cable operators have been telecasting rallies and other activities without his consent,” said DEO and added that though the candidate did not accept to have any knowledge about the telecast, but they have decided to treat it as an advertisement and add the amount into the expenditure of the candidate.

“The owners of ‘banned’ Khan Digital Vision (KDV) and Friends Networks, local cable providers at Banihal have assured us that they will conform to the guidelines of the MCC,” said Bukhari, adding that the seized equipment of the service operators have been returned as per orders of the court.

Pertinently local ‘unauthorized’ cable operators in Banihal had been banned for giving non-stop coverage to Indian National Congress (INC) candidate, by telecasting his rallies and other political activities continuously even after being warned several times by the concerned Returning Officer.

Both the cable operators had been giving selective publicity to the INC candidate from Ramban, who is also sitting MLA and were running without prior advertisement certification from Media Certification & Monitoring Committee (MCMC).

Meanwhile, the Election Commission also sealed a local cable network in Kathua after its operator failed to come up with a "satisfactory answer" to a show cause notice issued to it in connection with a "poll code violation".