"..You are asking us to entertain an area which deals with perceptions and opinions. Further, morality yardsticks are to be decided by the government. We cannot decide the issue. We are not sure whether the show has brought out the truth of many people but it is certain that it has brought out the hypocrisy of various ministers and parliamentarians.."
HC: 'Why Do You Not Simply Switch Off The TV?' New Delhi Jul 29, 2009 Stating that 'moral policing' is not its job, the Delhi High Court today dismissed the two petitions seeking a stay on the controversial TV programme Sach Ka Samna, being aired on Star Plus. "Moral policing is not a function of the High Court. We are here not to decide it," said a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah, while declining to stay the telecast of Sach Ka Samna, a game show where contestants are asked a series of prying questions. The court further advised petitioners Deepak Maini and Prabhat Kumar, who had alleged that the programme was against the values of the Indian society, to approach the government over the issue. Rejecting the petition, the court said, "This is for the government to decide. It is not the function of the court. We are not concerned." The court did not agree with the allegation that the show is "obscene and against Indian culture and ethos". "Our culture is not so fragile that it will be affected by one TV show. Moreover, nobody in his individual capacity can be allowed to take upon the social order and ask for directions," the court said. On the allegation that it would lead to a bad effect on children, the court said, "In this land of Gandhi, it appears that nobody follows Gandhi… Follow the Gandhian principle of ’see no evil’. Why do you not simply switch off the TV? " "We have very good advice for you. You have got two judges sitting here who do not watch TV at all. It will certainly help. Individual ideas of morality are not the business of the court. We are not sitting here for moral policing… You approach the Parliament and get the remedy." “The courts cannot be expected to deal with issues that involve different individual perceptions." "You are asking us to entertain an area which deals with perceptions and opinions. Further, morality yardsticks are to be decided by the government. We cannot decide the issue. We are not sure whether the show has brought out the truth of many people but it is certain that it has brought out the hypocrisy of various ministers and parliamentarians. "It is for the government to decide whether the programme should be banned or not. It is not the function of the court ... There are far more serious problems in this country which we have to settle," the Bench said, in a scathing indictment, since after an uproar in Parliament over the same show, the I&B ministry had issued a show cause notice to Star Plus, the channel where the show is being televised. The first episode of Sach Ka Samna had created quite a furore over the reported remarks of former cricketer Vinod Kambli about his school-friend Sachin Tendulkar. The show is based on American TV's Moment of Truth, in which contestants are asked 21 questions, mostly personal in nature. Those who pass the polygraph test become eligible to win up to Rs one crore as prize money. The court also declined to entertain the plea to have a regulator for TV shows on the pattern of the Censor Board and such shows should be certified by such a regulator. "We cannot direct the government. This is not the functions of the court. There are far more serious problems, which we have to decide," said the court. http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?663612 -- http://venukm.blogspot.com http://www.shelfari.com/kmvenuannur http://kmvenuannur.livejournal.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
