New Delhi: Zee Media Corporation has filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court against the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for withdrawing the permission to uplink from Ku band satellite frequency.
Ministry order came on 23 September Resource He zee Direct-to-home (DTH) service DD could no longer broadcast its 10 regional channels appearing on Free Dish.
In the petition filed on 26 September zee has accused the ministry of not disclosing the complaints on the basis of which “drastic” measures were taken against it. The company has also argued how, despite efforts to comply with all the rules, the government has revoked its permission to broadcast from the Ku band.
“The order dated 23.09.2022 passed by respondent no.1 is perverse as it has been passed in violation of the principles of natural justice. The complaints on the basis of which the order dated 23.09.2022 has been passed have been shared with the petitioners till date. has not been done.
I&B ministry withdrew permission for this zee To broadcast from Ku Band after complaints by its competitors that the company was trying to reach out to DD Free Dish and its audience without paying the mandatory auction fee. The order of the government also said that the broadcasting company is trying to take advantage of the technological combination to get a competitive advantage in the market.
According to the petition filed by the news broadcaster, it had requested the government to disclose the nature of the complaints received. But all the requests were rejected, the petition said. The company also said that the government order is “highly counterproductive” and has “far-reaching consequences”.
“The said directions are very serious in nature, highly prejudicial to the business of petitioner No.zee Media) and it has far reaching consequences and yet, no time period has been given to Petitioner No. 1 to pursue its legal remedies against such draconian order. Therefore, it is clear that the impugned order has been enforced by malice and is intended to cause unlawful harm to petitioner No. 1 and unlawful gain to his competitors,” the petition read.
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‘Prasar Bharati’ can encrypt your signals’
It is to be noted that the transmission band for this Prasar Bharati is not encrypted and is closely placed with the Ku band. So any channel, if they broadcast through Ku Band, can reach huge audience for DD Free Dish.
The network is expected to participate in the e-auction and pay a fee for accessing DD Free Dish.
zeestated that the government had “failed to consider” how Prasar Bharati May encrypt your signals to avoid any technical discrepancy. The petition has cited direct-to-home (DTH) guidelines that mandate all licensees to encrypt their transmission signals.
“It is submitted that the respondent No. 1 in passing the impugned order dated 23.09.2022 has failed to consider that the TV channels of petitioner No. 1 are not received on DD Free Dish as a way to ensure that only broadcast BHARTI to comply with the order of Direct-to-Home (DTH) guidelines and orders of Hon’ble TDSAT and to encrypt its signals. Encryption of signals by Prasar Bharati shall ensure that Petitioner No. 1’s TV The channels are not received on DD Free Dish,” explained the petition.
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