12 Jul 2024: In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Friday granted interim relief to Kannada news channel Power TV and its affiliate Mitcoin Infrastructure by vacating an interim stay on the TV channel’s broadcasts.
Power TV had been prominently reporting on sexual abuse allegations against suspended Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] leader Prajwal Revanna and his brother, Suraj Revanna. The Bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, suggested that the actions taken against the channel appeared to be politically motivated.
“We are inclined to protect freedom of speech and expression. The more we hear this, it looks like a plain case of political vendetta, and this court will be failing in its duty if it is not protected,” stated CJI Chandrachud.
The Supreme Court stayed the Karnataka High Court’s interim order halting all broadcasts until Monday (July 15), while issuing notice on Power TV’s appeal.
The controversy began when the Karnataka High Court ordered Power TV to stop all broadcasts, alleging that it did not possess an active license. This order followed a show-cause notice issued by the Central government in February this year.
Power TV has argued that it was unfairly targeted after airing a broadcast on April 25 that exposed the Prajwal Revanna sex scandal. According to the channel, its CEO, Rakesh Shetty, received calls from Prajwal Revanna’s father, HD Revanna, and an officer attached to Union Cabinet Minister Prahlad Joshi, suggesting that the broadcast should be taken down to avoid further issues.
Further complicating matters, on June 21, Power TV reported additional allegations of sexual abuse against Prajwal’s brother, Suraj Revanna. Subsequently, on June 25, a single judge of the Karnataka High Court issued an interim order stopping all broadcasts by Power TV due to the lack of a valid license.
Power TV contends that the Central government inexplicably pressed for the halt of broadcasts during the June 25 hearing, despite the petitions being filed by a senior IPS officer and a JD(S) leader who claimed defamation.
On July 3, a Division Bench of the High Court refused to lift the stay order but directed the Central government to resolve the license dispute within six weeks. Power TV fears this process will merely be a formality leading to the rejection of its license.
Challenging the High Court’s July 3 order, Power TV has appealed to the Supreme Court and presented letters from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting regarding license renewals for channels run by Sahara and New Delhi Televisions Limited (NDTV). Power TV highlighted that these channels were allowed to continue operations during the renewal process, unlike Power TV, whose broadcasts were prohibited.
After hearing the brief submissions, the Supreme Court granted interim relief to Power TV. “The interim order has to be vacated. Issue notice, stay on High Court judgment,” the court ordered.
Power TV was represented by Senior Advocates Ranjit Kumar, Sunil Fernandes, and advocates Mithu Jain and Sanchit Garga.
