Centre seeks apology from NDTV India for its Pathankot coverage

The Centre on Friday insisted in the Supreme Court that Hindi TV channel NDTV India tender an apology for allegedly violating the telecast norms during the Pathankot terror attack last year.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told a bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan that the news channel must clearly say that it regrets the unfortunate incident that led to the government's passing direction for it to go off air for a day in November last year.

Senior advocate Harish Salve appearing for NDTV India said that the channel is ready to furnish a letter clarifying that it carries out responsible journalism.

He said that the channel is ready to state that the reportage consistently takes care of the issues of confidentiality and the Centre should call a meeting to clarify and lay down clear guidelines.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on March 31.

On November 8 last year, Rohatgi had informed the court that the decision to ban the transmission on November 9 had been put on hold by the government.

He had said that NDTV would be given a hearing by the inter-ministerial committee before which the channel had made a representation for a review of the decision directing NDTV India to go off the air for allegedly violating the telecast norms.

NDTV has challenged the constitutional validity of the provision of the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act under which the order was issued against it.

The ban was been widely condemned by journalists and editors with all press councils drawing parallels between the move and the Emergency of the 1970s when basic constitutional rights including the freedom of the press were blatantly violated, the channel said on its website.