Rajasthan High Court notice to Centre over curbs on condom ads on TV

The Rajasthan High Court in Jaipur has issued a show cause notice to the Center for issuing an advisory to broadcasters about not telecasting and airing condom advertisements between 6 am and 10 pm. A division bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajong and Justice DC Somani issued the notices.

Counsel for litigant, Prateek Kasliwal, told DNA, "Notices have been issued to two ministries, namely the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and Ministry of Health to respond within eight weeks. They have been asked as to why the advisory should not be annulled on account of being arbitrary."

The said advisory had been issued citing exposure of children to explicit material and advertisements.

The notices have been issued on a petition filed by an NGO called Global Alliance for Human Health, alleging that the action of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is against the interest of public.

It also alleges that it vindicates the hypocritical approach wherein the government, on one hand, promotes awareness about family planning, AIDS and STD; and on the other hand, it obstructs dissemination of condom advertisements which are crucial for family planning, decreasing abortion deaths, and spreading awareness about HIV-AIDS and STDs.

A copy of the PIL available with DNA further reads that children and adolescents must know about safe sex and be given sex education.

The petition questioned the rationale of the advisory, "There is no iota of reason as to how an advertisement for condom is an unhealthy practice," reads the PIL. "The same has also been interpreted wrong by the respondent as it would be creating unhealthy/indecent/undignified impression over children which would promote unhealthy/indecent/undignified practices among them, whereas the respondent, with all due respect, has ignored the vulnerable and major group of adolescents who require knowledge of sex education."