73 complaints against vulgar ads on TV

Rajya Sabha members during the Winter session of Parliament. PIC/PTI

Seventy-three complaints have been received against obscene and vulgar advertisements on private television channels by the regulatory bodies over the past three years, the government has told parliament.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said the complaints were "suitably" addressed by a three-level grievance redress system. Murugan said the mechanism, established under the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, includes self-regulation by broadcasters, self-regulation by self-regulating bodies of the broadcasters, and an oversight mechanism of the central government.

The minister said appropriate action is taken wherever violation of the Advertising Code is found by issuance of "Advisories, Warnings, ‘Apology Scroll' Orders and Off-air orders." In reply to a separate question, Murugan said OTT platforms are required to adhere to the Code of Ethics under Part-III of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. "These codes are self-regulatory in nature," the minister said.

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