“Till we decide it, you don’t broadcast. Clients may tell you whatever they want, this is a show-cause notice from the Central government. You will have to contest this. Instead of contesting this, what you do is you give an application for change of something and say that this amounts to renewal?” Justice Krishna Kumar stated
Karnataka: Recently, the Karnataka High Court issued an interim order restraining Kannada news channel Power TV and its affiliate, Mitcoin Infraprojects, from broadcasting content. Justice SR Krishna Kumar on June 25, after a preliminary finding that their broadcasting licence had not been renewed.
The Court noted that the Central Government had issued a show cause notice to Power Smart Media Private Limited, which operates Power TV, on February 9 regarding the failure to renew its licence. Proceedings on this issue are currently pending.
Justice Krishna Kumar ordered,
“It would be just and appropriate to direct respondent No.3 (Power Smart Media) / respondent No.5 (Mitcoin) and other private respondents (Directors of Power Smart Media and Mitcoin) not to continue with any broadcast and restrain all the private respondents from carrying on any broadcast activity till the next date of hearing.”
This interim order was issued in response to two petitions: one by Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Dr. BR Ravikanthe Gowda and another by former Karnataka Legislative Council member and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HM Ramesh Gowda and his wife Dr. A Ramya Ramesh. The petitioners claimed to be “victims” of broadcasts by Power TV and argued that the channel lacked a valid licence to operate. They urged the High Court to instruct the Central government to halt Power TV’s broadcasts.
Earlier, Mitcoin Infraproject claimed to have a valid licence to broadcast. A coordinate Bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna allowed the continuance of broadcasts in an April 23 order, stating, “Till the matter is heard and disposed, whoever is possessing the valid licence from the hands of the Competent Authority shall run the show.”
However, during the June 25 hearing, Justice Krishna Kumar found that Mitcoin’s licence had expired in October 2021, with no evidence of renewal.
“The private respondents have not produced any material to establish that either their approval/ licence/ permission is valid and subsisting as on today,”
the Court noted.
Justice Kumar was unconvinced by documents submitted by Mitcoin’s counsel, which argued for licence modifications as a sign of active licence status.
He remarked,
“Till we decide it, you don’t broadcast. Clients may tell you whatever they want, this is a show-cause notice from the Central government. You will have to contest this. Instead of contesting this, what you do is you give an application for change of something and say that this amounts to renewal?”
The matter is scheduled for further hearing on July 9.
