Parliament Question: Review of content of news channels

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1696 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13/02/2026 REVIEW OF CONTENT OF NEWS CHANNELS 1696. SHRI RAGHAV CHADHA: Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has any mechanism to review or monitor the content broadcast by news channels, if so, the details thereof; (b) the number of complaints received by Government against news channels during the last five years, the details thereof; (c) the mechanism for disposal of such complaints and the rate of disposal during the last five years, year-wise; and (d) whether Government follows any separate process for vernacular and local news channels, if so, whether this differs from the process followed for national channels and if so, the reasons therefor? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN) (a) to (d): The Private Satellite Cable Television Channels are required to adhere to the Advertising Code &Programme Code framed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and rules framed thereunder, which inter alia provides that no programme should be telecast which contains attack on religions or communities or visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups or which promote communal attitudes or which criticizes, maligns or slanders any individual in person or certain groups, segments of social, public and moral life of the country. The Central Government has also notified Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021 vide notification No. G.S.R. 416(E) dated 17.06.2021 thereby establishing a statutory mechanism for redressal of grievances/ complaints of violation of Programme and Advertising Codes. The Rules provide for three level complaint redressal mechanisms, Level I by the broadcaster, Level II by the self-regulating bodies of the broadcasters, and Level III by oversight mechanism of the Central Government. The Government takes action against Private 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. As per the Three Level Grievance Redressal Mechanism, at Level-I and Level -II any complaints regarding the content of the programme of a channel, are directly received and disposed of by the Broadcaster and Self-Regulating Bodies of the Broadcasters. As such this Ministry does not exercise direct jurisdiction or oversight over these.Level-III provides for Oversight mechanism by the Central Government. The details of action taken by this Ministry in last 5 years as under: Summary of action taken year-wise since 2021 to 2025 S.No. Description 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Total Advisories to 1 5 7 14 3 6 35 specific channels 2 Warnings 25 6 17 1 1 50 Orders for Apology 3 11 39 3 - 1 54 Scrolls 4 Off-air Orders - - 3 - - 3 Cancellation of 5 1 - - - - 1 permission 6 Order for disclaimer 1 - - - - 1 TOTAL 43 52 37 4 8 144 *******