MediaOne, A Kerala Based TV Channel Operated By Islamist Outfit Jamaat-e-Islami, Barred From Transmission By Union Government On National Security Grounds

The Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry has blocked the transmission of Kerala-based Islamist news channel MediaOne TV citing “security reasons. The channel, which is operated by Jamaat-e-Islami, went off-air on Monday (Jan 31) noon.

In a statement, MediaOne TV editor Pramod Raman said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has imposed a broadcasting ban on the channel.

"The ministry has said the ban was due to security reasons, but the channel is yet to get the details on it. The Union Government has not made the details about the ban available to MediaOne TV. We have started legal action against the ban. After completing the process, the channel would be back to the audience. We are suspending the broadcasting temporarily with the hope that justice will prevail at last,'' the statement read.

It is likely that Ministry of Information and Broadcasting may have ordered blocking the channel after the Ministry of Home Affairs red flagged the channel and denied security clearance.

It is unclear if the licence of the TV channel has not expired but the process of renewal of the licence of the channel was on when the ban came. MediaOne TV said that it had applied for broadcast permissions to be renewed from September 30, 2021 to September 29, 2031.

In March 2020, the ministry had prohibited the transmission or re-transmission of the channel for 48 hours, along with Asianet News TV, charging it with maliciously motivated and biased reporting of North East Delhi riots. The ministry had said that it acted against the channel for violating provisions of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1998.