The NDA government has issued separate show-cause notices to an English and two Hindi news channels for their coverage of the of Yakub Memon's execution on July 30, 2014, the Indian Express reports. The three channels have been given 15 days to explain why the government should not take action against them.

The government said that the three private channels had shown disrespect to the Supreme court's decision and also to the President of India's refusal to grant clemency to the 1993 Mumbai blasts convict.

On the day of the hanging, two Hindi channels aired of phone-in interviews of Chhota Shakeel, in which he claimed that justice has not prevailed in the Memon's case and he does not have faith in Indian Justice system. The English channel has come under the government's scanner for broadcasting Yakub Memon's lawyer's interview in which he questions the death penalty sentence given to Memon by saying that many countries had done away with capital punishment, the report says.

Sources told to the newspaper that the I&B ministry obtained the video clips aired from the Electronic Media and Monitoring Centre (EMMC). Quotes from these clips have been cited in the notice.

According to the report, the show-cause notices call on at least three sections of the Programme Code prescribed under the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994. Section 1(d) prohibits carrying programmes which contain anything obscene, defamatory, deliberate, false and suggestive innuendos and half-truths. Section 1(e) restricts broadcasting of programmes in the cable service which are supposed to encourage or incite violence or contains anything against maintenance of law and order or which promote anti-national attitudes. Section 1(g) bars channels from carrying content which “contains aspersions against the integrity of the President and Judiciary”.

A committee of officials from the Home, External Affairs and Defence ministries will evaluate justifications provided by the channels and decide on the consequences. One channel has already submitted its response.