I&B Ministry
Sun TV to move HC on denial of permission to bid for FM Phase III auctions
NEW DELHI: The Sun TV Group is planning to move the High Court in Delhi or Chennai on Monday (20 July) to challenge the denial of permission to Red FM to bid in Phase III of FM auctions.
Sun Group chief financial officer SL Narayanan told Indiantelevision.com that the Group had received a formal communication from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on night of 16 July that it would not be allowed to bid in view of pending cases against the Maran brothers.
Narayanan said that the Group had so far refrained from commenting as “we do not want to fight in the media,” but was not reacting as the Ministry had given it a cause of action for a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution.
The list of 21 bidders, which had got the go-ahead on 15 July did not contain the name of Red FM, which is a strong contender.
Narayanan also said that the cases against the Marans were not linked to security issues and had in any case not been concluded. Further, he said that a company could not be asked to close down merely because it had some cases pending against it.
Expressing his gratitude to the manner in which the Indian media had taken up the cause of freedom of the press on behalf of Sun, he said that no plans had been drawn up for moving the Courts on Sun TV since there was no cause for action as the government had so far failed to send any communication relating to the security clearance issue pending with the Home Ministry.
He was particularly grateful to Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) president Uday Shankar and Association of Radio Operators in India’s (AROI) Uday Chawla for writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Home Minister Rajnath Singh and I&B Minister Arun Jaitley.
In addition, political parties Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and PMK had also issued statements condemning the delay by the Government in taking a decision.
I&B Ministry
MeitY extends deadline for feedback on digital media rules overhaul
Government gives stakeholders more time to respond to proposed changes in intermediary guidelines.
MUMBAI: When the rulebook gets a rewrite, even the internet needs a little extra time to read the fine print. Regulators have extended the deadline for public feedback on a proposed overhaul of India’s digital media and intermediary liability framework, giving stakeholders until April 29 to submit their views. In a notice issued on April 10, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said it was extending the consultation period for draft amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, following representations from several stakeholders.
At the heart of the proposals is a significant shift in how social media platforms and other intermediaries must respond to government communications. A new provision would make compliance with official “clarifications, advisories, directions, standard operating procedures and guidelines” a formal part of the due diligence obligations required to retain safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.
The amendments would also expand the scope of content oversight under Part III of the rules. The digital media ethics code would now apply not only to publishers but also to intermediaries hosting or transmitting user-uploaded news and current affairs content. This could bring user-generated news more directly under regulatory scrutiny.
Additionally, the Inter-Departmental Committee’s powers would be broadened, allowing it to take up matters referred directly by the ministry rather than waiting for formal complaints. This signals a more proactive approach to content monitoring.
The existing IT Rules already impose strict requirements on intermediaries, including timely removal of unlawful content, grievance redressal mechanisms, and traceability in certain cases. Recent updates have also introduced obligations around labelling synthetically generated content.
Officials have described the amendments as necessary to create an “Open, Safe, Trusted and Accountable Internet” while improving legal clarity and enforceability.
With the extended deadline now set for April 29, the government has given industry bodies, civil society, and digital platforms additional time to respond to changes that could significantly reshape how online platforms operate and are governed in India.
In the fast-scrolling world of digital regulation, a little extra time to read the small print might just prevent bigger headaches down the line.
