Amid rising political tension in Maharashtra, the Shiv Cable Sena, an affiliate to Shiv Sena, has asked the cable TV operators to ban Republic Media Network in the state. aAccording to reports, the Shiv Cable Sena has issued a letter which is signed by Sanjay Raut’s brother Sunil Raut. The letter sent to major operators claims that Republic has violated journalistic ethics and guidelines by repeatedly using the non-respectful language for CM Uddhav Thackeray, home minister and holding a ‘parallel court’.
Following the letter, the network has issued a statement. “This is an attack and an attempt to plunder the fourth pillar of democracy. The Shiv Sena wants us to squirm before them, they want to snatch our fundamental right to report. Under Article 19(1)A of the Constitution of India, Uddhav Thackeray, you have no right to do this. Our coverage speaks truth to power. The people of India did not stand for Emergency in 1975, and they will not stand for what the Sonia Sena is doing right now,” it said in a statement.
The network has also released a petition on Twitter “appealing to the people of India to come forward and join the fight for the right to report in a free democratic country.”
Meanwhile, Bombay HC declined to entertain Republic TV’s plea alleging that Shiv Sena has threatened Cable Operators to take the channel off air. “The Shiv Cable Sena is not a statutory authority to either supersede the license granted to the Petitioners or to interfere in the contractual/statutory relationship between the Petitioners and the Cable Network Operators. The communication issued by it has, therefore, no effect in law”, said the order.
