‘Nothing new in telecast of fresh releases in regional languages’

The Puducherry district administration has taken cognisance of a complaint against a local cable television operator who allegedly aired a ‘censor copy’ of ‘ > Udta Punjab,’ ahead of its release in cinema theatres.

Collector P. Jawahar said, “We have taken cognisance of the complaint that surfaced on social media and we will initiate action against the cable operator under Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act.”

According to sources, a local cable channel Shakthi TV reportedly telecast the full film through its network and the film also carried the watermark of ‘For Censor’. The issue came to the fore with actor Surya and several others raising it on social media.

Mr. Surya tweeted along with picture on Thursday: “Fight against Piracy!!Spread awareness that it's a crime!! Yet to release film”.

Television viewers of Puducherry say the telecast of new releases in Tamil, Hindi and other regional languages on local cable networks is nothing new in the city.

Last April, in the middle of the election campaign, the district authorities had issued notices to over 350 unauthorised/unregistered channels in Puducherry to shut operations.

The Sub-Divisional Magistrates of the District had stated that it had been brought to their notice that various unauthorised/unregistered channel networks and cable operators telecast advertisements and daily news periodically without obtaining exclusive permission from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

As per rule 6 (6) of the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules 2006, no cable operator shall carry or include in his cable service any television broadcast or channel, which has not been registered by the Centre for being viewed within the territory of India. As such the act of carrying the unauthorised channel in their cable network of multi-system operators (MSOs) and cable TV operators amounts to violation of section 5 of Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 read with Rule 6 (6) of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1995, said a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (North) in the said notice in April.

However, at the request of cable TV operators, the authorities suspended action against them considering that their livelihood would be affected.