[Media Trial In Sushant Singh Rajput Case] Live-Updates Of Hearing From Bombay High Court

News Broadcaster has to comply with the programme code.

I ask myself a question, can I, after giving an undertaking, can I say "oh! I am not bound by the contract. I will earn revenues from airwaves but Code I'm not bothered with?" That is not an open question, says Kamat

We respect the people who head these private self-regulating bodies. I don't want to get into how they effectuate their powers.

I only want to say that the govt has a duty to effectuate its powers, not abdicate it, says Kamat

Union of India cannot abdicate its responsibility to private bodies.

"Power coupled with a duty. repository of power has to effectuate this duty," says Kamat.

There is a binding contract & the broadcaster gives an undertaking. No one has challenged the validity of the guidelines or the contract which is entered into between the broadcasters and union, says Kamat.

Find it quite strange that this argument has been advanced by broadcasters & self-regulators that oh! we should have a self-regulating regime without govt control. Today, we are not in a virgin area, says Kamat

Kamat: I bow down.

You contention is that every broadcasters had to abide by Programme code and advertising code and if any breach, exposing itself to the Ministry withdrawing licence and that the ministry has power to withdraw? Court to Kamat

Programme Code to regulate Broadcasters and they are bound to follow this in terms of the Cable TV Networks Act, says Kamat

Incumbent upon State that there is balance of rights of various stakeholders, Kamat says.

He is taking the bench through process of grant of licence to broadcasters by the Union.

All licences issued to broadcasters mentions that they are issued under section 5 of the Telegraph Act, says Kamat