New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the Kerala High Court order which had upheld the Centre’s decision to ban the Malayalam news channel ‘MediaOne’ telecast on security grounds, news agency PTI reported.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli rejected the argument of the Centre that some of the channel’s broadcasts affected national security, according to Bar & Bench. “National security claims cannot be made out of thin air, there must be material facts backing it,” the apex court said while hearing the case.
It may be recalled that MediaOne TV was banned by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs refused to give clearance to the channel, citing “security reasons”. On February 9, a single bench of the HC had upheld the ban on the channel, which has the backing of the Kerala chapter of Jamaat-e-Islami.
Quashing the Centre’s ban on the channel, the Supreme Court on Wednesday noted that an “independent press is necessary for robust democracy”
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