Ban shows like 'Emotional Atyachar': Law commission

Even as the Delhi high court poured cold water over the government’s move to censor prime-time TV, the law commission — set up to help in reforming the law — has suggested banning undercover filming operations for entertainment purposes.

The commission, which floated a discussion paper just before the government issued the Bigg Boss directive, felt that programs such as Emotional Atyachar, which secretly films clandestine romantic encounters, took “civilisation backward.”

Additionally, sting operations — especially on criminal cases — were accused of causing “embarrassment” to law-enforcement agencies.

“In the recent past, instances of Television channels exceeding the limits of decency by using sting operation [hidden camera] as a tool in ongoing reality shows to expose infidelity of a spouse, boyfriend, etc have been noticed,” the commission noted in its discussion paper.

“Such sting operations, showing the private life of common men and women, are not conducted for exposing public wrongs and do not serve any public interest or public purpose... [They are] violating the right to privacy and taking civilisation backward,” it added.

However, intruding private lives was not the only sin committed by sting operations. The commission noted that channels are using sting operations to bring to light aspects of criminal cases that are not obvious or are lying dormant. The telecast of such aspects of criminal cases — most of which are being heard in the courts - “play up the emotions and sensationalise events,” the paper noted.

They also cause shame to law-enforcement operations and shake people’s trust in the government, the advisory body pointed out. “It has a tendency to generate public opinion in a particular direction much to the embarrassment of law enforcement agencies... [and] has the potential to shake people’s faith in the
institutions and create a general atmosphere of cynicism in the
society,” it said.

The commission expressed doubt about whether the News Broadcasting Standard Authority (NBSA), set up in October 2008, has been able to enforce discipline on news channels. “Whether such a self-regulatory mechanism has proved to be adequate and effective and whether it would obviate the need for a statutory mechanism to regulate the contents of broadcasting including sting operations and taking appropriate action under the law is a matter of debate,” the commission, whose recommendations are not binding on the government, said.

The commission has asked all stakeholders — including the media — to give their responses by end of the month, before firming up its recommendations.