Act on TV shows sans censorship: Andhra HC to Centre

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday questioned the Centre if it will take any action against the shows like Bigg Boss, which are being telecast without any censorship. A PIL was filed by social worker and film producer Kethireddy Jagadeeswara Reddy seeking court’s direction to the government to stop the telecast of Bigg Boss, which is misleading youth by encouraging obscene, indecent, immoral and violent tendencies. A similar PIL was filed in 2019.

Hearing the petition, a division bench comprising Justice Akula Venkata Seshasai and Justice Duppala Venkataramana, questioned why the Centre has failed to file counter in the PIL filed in 2019. It asked the Centre, if it has any thoughts of bringing a legislation to control such shows.  The court sought to know if the Centre is even thinking of responding on social issues.

Directing the Centre to submit details of what measures are being taken against shows like Bigg Boss, the court served notices to Union Home Secretary, Central Board of Film Certification, Secretary of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Secretary of Ministry of Women and Child Welfare. Posting the case hearing to October 11, the court sought to know what message do organisers of the shows such as Bigg Boss want to send to the people.Petitioner’s counsel G Sivaprasad Reddy said Bigg Boss is promoting indecency and obscenity. The show is being telecast sans censorship. Though the sixth edition of the show is being telecast, there has been no action from the Centre, he added.

Responding to his argument, the bench expressed concern over what is being telecast on TVs. When the court asked the Centre what measures it is taking against such shows, the petitioner’s counsel intervened and explained the objectionable way in which participants of Bigg Boss are behaving. He read out the guidelines issued by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation for such shows. The court after going through the guidelines, said unlike yesteryears’ message oriented films and shows, today’s shows and movies are such that an entire family is unable to sit together and watch them.