EC Bans NaMo TV Till Elections

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India on Wednesday finally decided to stop transmission of the NaMo TV channel during the election period after it got embroiled in a major controversy and was accused of being biased in favour of ruling dispensation.

The Commission put a ban on transmission of the channel along with a biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi which was slated for release on Thursday.

The EC order banning the screening of the biopic also applies to NaMo TV, which also cannot be aired during the poll period, PTI said quoting a senior official of the poll panel.

The official referred to a paragraph in the order which said, “that any poster or publicity material concerning any such certified content, which either depicts a candidate (including prospective) for the furtherance (or purported to further) of electoral prospects, directly or indirectly, shall not be put on display in electronic media in the area where MCC is in force.”

Within 24 hours of its launch on March 31, leading DTH service providers such as TataSky, Airtel TV, Dish TV had started airing NaMo TV. It landed on the subscriber’s bouquet of channels by default and could not be removed.

According to some report, the TV neither obtained a broadcast licence nor did it have the mandatory security clearance.

A furious opposition had demanded the government’s response and EC’s directions, describing it as blatant violation of the model code of conduct.

Incidentally, the EC move came against the background of more than 64 retired had written a protest letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, accusing the EC of suffering from credibility crisis.