Marathi News Channel Faces 30-Day Suspension for Technical Violations in Kirit Somaiya Video Case

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) has suspended the license of Marathi news channel Lokshahi for 30 days, effective January 9, 2024, citing alleged violations of uplinking and downlinking guidelines. This marks the second time the channel has faced such a penalty, following a 72-hour suspension in July 2023 for airing purportedly explicit videos of former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya.

The ministry's order references technical discrepancies, including Lokshahi's content being sourced from a third-party studio in Andheri, which coincides with the address of a non-permitted entity, Swaraj Marathi Broadcasting LLP. This contravenes the condition of the original license granted to Zora Traders Ltd, which stipulates content development within the company and not through third-party outsourcing.

Kamlesh Sutar, editor-in-chief of Lokshahi, contested the suspension on YouTube, calling it retribution for the channel's "fearless journalism." Ganesh Naidu, whose son is a director at Lokshahi, confirmed they will challenge the order in court. He argued that the channel did not show identifiable body parts in the Somaiya video and that similar practices occur across the industry.

The ministry has directed the company to take corrective measures to ensure that the entire activity of the channel is under its own control and demonstrate this through a future roadmap. Only after this, it says, will the channel be allowed to resume operations, HT reported.