Parliament Question: Complaints on Violations of Publishing Broadcasting

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6199 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01/04/2026 COMPLAINTS ON VIOLATIONS OF PUBLISHING BROADCASTING

6199. SHRI KALYAN BANERJEE:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

(a) the details of complaint received on violations of publishing broadcasting / telecasting / app content fixed by the Government on violence/obscenity by various media in the country;

(b) the details of action taken on such violations during the last five years;

(c) whether the Government has made any study about the adverse impact of increasing violent / toxic culture content in internet/print/electronic / social media on society, affecting youth and adolescents and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the details of steps taken or proposed to be taken by the Government to curb mental health issues faced by many readers/viewers through such content particularly through the social media, internet, apps therein? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN)

(a) to (d): The private television channels are required to adhere to the Programme Code and Advertising Code framed under the Cable Television Networks

(Regulation) Act, 1995. The Programme Code provides that programme which

contains any of the following should not be telecast on a private television channel:  obscenity  attack on religions or communities  visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups  content which promotes communal attitudes content which criticizes, maligns or slanders any individual in person or certain groups, segments of social, public and moral life of the country Further, the Advertising Code, inter-alia, stipulates that indecent, vulgar, suggestive, repulsive or offensive themes or treatment shall be avoided in all advertisements.

The Central Government has also established a statutory mechanism for redressal of grievances/ complaints of violation of Programme and Advertising Codes. As per the three-level grievance redressal mechanism, any complaints regarding the content broadcast by private satellite TV channels, are dealt as follows:

 Level-I: directly received and disposed of by the Broadcaster  Level -II: Self-Regulating Bodies of the Broadcasters  Level-III provides for Oversight mechanism by the Central Government.

The Government acts against private satellite TV channels by issuance of advisories, warnings, apology scroll orders and off-air orders etc. The Ministry also issues Advisories from time to time to private satellite TV channels for adhering to the Programme Code and Advertising Code.

The details of action taken by this Ministry in last 5 years in respect of all violations of

the Programme Code and Advertising Code as under:

S. No. Description 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Total Advisories to specific 1 5 7 14 3 6 35 channels 2 Warnings 25 6 17 1 1 50 3 Orders for Apology Scrolls 11 39 3 - 1 54 4 Off-air Orders - - 3 - - 3 5 Cancellation of permission 1 - - - - 1 6 Order for disclaimer 1 - - - - 1 TOTAL 43 52 37 4 8 144 Apart from above, the Government takes all possible steps to curb violations by other media platforms, which include:

 Print media: Newspapers have to adhere to “Norms of Journalistic Conduct” brought out by the Press Council of India (PCI). These norms, inter-alia, restrain publication of fake/ defamatory/ misleading news. The Council holds inquiry into alleged violations of the norms, as per section 14 of the PCI Act, and may warn, admonish or censure the newspaper, editors, journalists, etc. as the case may be.

 Digital media: For the publishers of news and current affairs on digital media and publishers of online curated content, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021) providesfor a Code of Ethics along with a three-level institutional mechanism for redressal of grievance relating to violation of Code of Ethics by such publishers.

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