NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday expressed its serious concerns with the television channels, saying they are creating divisions in the society for they are agenda-driven and compete to sensationalise news.
Observing that free and balanced press is very much required in the country, the court said anchors of such programmes on divisive agenda should be taken off air.
Hearing a batch of petitions including by journalist Qurban Ali, a bench of Justices K M Joseph and B V Nagarathna orally observed that channels are competing against each other, they sensationalise things and serve an agenda.
The bench posed a series of queries to a counsel, appearing for the News Broadcasters & Digital Association.
"How many times have you taken off anchors, have you dealt with anchors in a way you send a message, see ultimately who controls the content of the programmeanchor and editorial, if anchor himself or herself are part of the problem," the bench asked.
We want a free and balanced press in India, the bench asserted.
Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, representing the Centre, said that the government is contemplating a separate amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code and that is its stand in the matter.
"In the marketplace of ideas we have to also see populace. Are we really a fully developed country? Are the audience mature enough to receive this kind of information that is dished out. If freedom is exercised with an agenda, then you are not actually serving the people, the bench said.
The bench also criticised the manner in which TV channels indulged in name callings against Shankar Mishra, the man accused of peeing in an Air India flight.
The court said that nobody should be denigrated and everyone has the right to dignity and media people must learn that theyre occupying positions of great strength and what theyre saying impacts the whole country.
In October last year, the apex court had ordered the Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand Police to take suo motu action in cases of hate speech without looking at the religion of the offenders.
The Uttarakhand government counsel told the court that the state had registered 23 suo motu cases after the last order but it is facing difficulties in pursuing the cases as a police officer is both the complainant and investigator. Uttar Pradesh counsel said the same issue existed with the states police. The UP counsel said the state had registered 581 cases and about 160 of them were suo motu.
