No laughs for Comedy Central as Delhi High Court upholds Centre's ban on transmission

The Delhi High Court today upheld the Centre's decision to stop for 10 days transmission of entertainment channel Comedy Central for airing shows having "obscene" and "vulgar" dialogues besides being derogatory to women, observing these may influence the future generation. 

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, while dismissing the appeal, also imposed a cost of Rs 20,000 payable to the Centre. 

Comedy Central had approached the division bench against a single judge order upholding the Centre's decision to stop its transmission for 10 days. 

"We have carefully perused the contents of the two programmes to which objection has been taken and having gone through the same, are of the opinion that the matter requires no interference. The appellant is engaged in a business/enterprise which owing to its mass appeal/base has the potential of influencing the thought, behaviour and conduct of the citizens, especially the future citizens of this country," the court said. 

"Merely because the government has done away with the system of checks, does not entitle such entrepreneurs to commence an enterprise in a half-baked manner," the court said. 

In its appeal, Viacom 18 Media Pvt Ltd had said, "Prohibition of transmission will cause irreparable loss and damage to the appellant. It will also put an end to the popularity and the viability, commercially or otherwise, of the channel." 

The channel had also claimed that transmission is its fundamental right and said, "The right to operate and broadcast television channel is protected under Article 19 of the Constitution. In this view of the matter, the appellants submit that they are entitled to fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution." 

The channel had gone blank for four days while the appeal was taking place and will now complete the rest of the six days.