Telugu news channel Vissa TV, owned by Raj TV Network, has been directed by the Indian government to go off air for 48 hours and later run an apology for five days for airing ‘vulgar’ and ‘misleading’ ads on prime time.

The offending advertisements that breached the programme and ad codes, aired last November and pertained to products that claimed to enhance human sexual prowess in and were touted as cure for sexual maladies.

An explanation was sought from Raj Television Network Ltd by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) in January this year, while a clarification was submitted early February.

A MIB communication states that members of an inter-departmental committee (IDC), which functions as an oversight body, deliberated upon the submissions made by Raj TV Network and observed that the said advertisements were “obscene, indecent, vulgar and also misleading in nature”.

The IDC, according to the MIB, noted that it is “extremely shocking that a news channel could telecast such an objectionable content and that too at 9.26 pm for about two hours”.

“Such obscene and vulgar advertisements would have offended many viewers, particularly families and children, who might have switched to the channel in order to watch news and current affairs and demands serious consideration. The IDC observed that the submission of the channel that this issue has occurred due to an error of a new employee is not tenable as the channel had telecast 3 different objectionable advertisements almost continuously for over 2 hours at prime time on the same day. The contention that as now the channel has introduced a two-layer audit team, hence, a lenient view should be taken does not hold ground as such a monitoring mechanism should have already been in place,” the MIB communication stated.

According to the MIB notice, it has accepted the recommendations of IDC and, accordingly, ordered suspension of “transmission or re-transmission of Vissa TV channel for 48 hours throughout India”.

The suspension came into effect at 6 pm May 4 and will last till 6 pm May 6 after which the news channel will have to telecast an “apology scroll” in bold at the bottom of the screen between 10 am and 10 pm for five days from May 7.

All programmes broadcast on private satellite TV channels are required to adhere to the Programme and Advertising Codes laid down under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.

Advertisement code’s clause 7(5) states that no advertisement shall contain references that are likely to lead the public to infer that the product advertised or any of its ingredients have some special or miraculous or super-natural property or quality, which is difficult to prove. Clause 7(8) says that indecent, vulgar, suggestive, repulsive or offensive themes or treatment shall be avoided in all advertisements.