Kerala HC dismisses MediaOne's plea, upholds licence cancellation by MIB
The court said the denial of security clearance to the channel is justified based on the reports submitted by the MIB
In a major setback for Malayalam news channel Media One, the Kerala High Court has upheld the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's (MIB) order revoking the channel's licence and dismissed the writ petition it had filed.
Hearing the petition, Justice N Nagaresh observed that the denial of security clearance to the channel is justified based on the reports submitted by the ministry. The HC had passed an order last week granting interim relief to MediaOne. It had also directed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to submit files that recommended denial of security clearance.
"Going through the files, I find the ministry has called for intelligence inputs in the case. The committee of officers found that security clearance should not be given. There are inputs justifying the denial of the clearance. Therefore, I am dismissing the writ petition," the court said.
Citing Supreme Court's 2019 judgement in Digicable (Network) India Private Ltd vs Union of India matter, the court said that the SC judgement clearly states there is no right to a prior hearing if the issue pertains to national security.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday told a group of Congress MPs that the issue of revocation of Media One’s TV licence is being examined by MHA officials. Earlier, I&B minister Anurag Thakur had told a delegation of Lok Sabha MPs from Kerala to meet Home Minister Amit Shah.
Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had raised the issue of MediaOne's licence cancellation in the parliament. “I am given to understand that the I&B Ministry has revoked the licence of a very popular media channel — Media One. It is a matter of serious concern that the licence has been revoked without citing any valid reason," Chowdhury said.
