India's government suspends MediaOne TV
On Monday afternoon, the Malayalam-language news outlet MediaOne TV ceased broadcasting after receiving an email suspension notice, according to Pramod Raman, the outlet's editor. A statement by the outlet alleges that the ministry suspended the broadcaster for unspecified "security reasons" and because it had not been granted a clearance by the Home Ministry when renewing its license.
MediaOne TV filed a petition in the Kerala High Court challenging the ban. In response to the petition, Justice N Nagaresh deferred the order of the I&B Ministry for two days. The government directive will not take effect until the court's next hearing on Wednesday. A single-judge bench of the court asked Additional Solicitor General S Manu for instructions from the Union ministry on the matter and also served notice on Planet Cast Media Services Limited, which provides broadcasting services to the channel. Mohammed Basheer, Member of Parliament, said that the ban was an attempt by the center to silence dissent by outright fascism.
Channel had applied for broadcast permissions to be renewed for ten years from September 30, 2021, to September 29, 2031. Owned by Madhyamam Broadcasting Ltd, many of its investors are Jamaat-e-Islami Hind members in Kerala. It is the second time in recent years that MediaOneTV has been barred from the telecast. In March 2020, the centre banned the channel, along with another Malayalam news channel, Asianet. The channels were accused of violating the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1998 while reporting the Delhi pogrom. The channel has reported critically on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent organization of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, as well as the response of the government to protests surrounding the Citizenship Amendment Act and the farming reform law.
The decision of the Union government to block the telecast of a channel owned by people belonging to a particular community raises questions. Media outlets critical of the government and those who oppose its propaganda are scrutinized unfairly, according to reports. Historically, media outlets reporting against the government's ideology have been either banned or raided by Income-tax or the Directorate of Enforcement.
