The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, 5 April, set aside the telecast ban imposed by the Union Government on Malayalam news channel MediaOne.
Independent press is crucial for responsible functioning of the society. Press has the duty to speak truth to power. Critical views of MediaOne cannot be termed anti-establishment and use of this term means that press must support the establishment," the Court said.
How the ban started: The Union Government had in January last year, asked the channel to stop operating after it denied security clearance to them during the license renewal process.
The government order had cited ‘unimaginable consequences on national security,’ and had refused to reveal why security clearance was denied. During the hearing, the centre had submitted these reasons to the top court in a 'sealed cover.'
After this became a major point of contention over the hearing, the Supreme Court, in its verdict, was expected to answer if the government can refuse revealing reasons for the ban on the channel due to ‘national security.’
SC rejects national security concerns: "We hold national security claims cannot be made on the basis of thin air. It is seen that none of the material is against national security or threatens public order," the top court said in its order on Wednesday.
"National security is being used to deny citizen their rights which cannot be permitted under law."Supreme Court