Agency report

New Delhi, Mar 30: Close on the heels of dishing out a two-month ban on television channel AXN (owned by Sony Pictures), the government on Thursday slapped a similar ban on fashion television channel FTV starting April 1 for beaming programmes that showed too much skin.

This is the second instance of the government imposing a ban on FTV in India. Earlier, in February 2002, the government had imposed a week-long ban on FTV for its raunchy footage.

The ministry for Information and Broadcasting said that the channel was banned for telecasting programmes such as ‘Midnight Hot’, where ‘skimpily dressed and semi naked models were shown that are against good taste and decency, denigrates women and are likely to adversely affect public morality’.

“The transmission or re-transmission of this Channel on all platforms has been prohibited with effect from April 1, 2007 to May 30, 2007 throughout the country, for showing programmes that are against good taste and decency, denigrate women and are likely to adversely affect public morality,” I&B Ministry said in a statement.

I&B minister P R Dasmunsi has, in the face of criticism, led his ministry’s drive to check what TV programmes and channels which it believes “adversely affect public morality.’’ Recently, Mr Dasmunsi told the media that many channels were under his ministry’s scanner for telecasting “adult” content and “objectionable” material.

In January, 2007, India had imposed a two-month ban on AXN for showing a programme called the “World’s Sexiest Advertisements” which the I&B ministry said was ‘indecent’ and also against ‘good taste’. However the ban was lifted in March 1 after repeated apologies from the AXN management. AXN had also promised to undertake stronger regulation and comply with Indian broadcasting norms.

I&B officials said that they were yet to take a decision on whether the ban would be limited to just the two-month period. They also added that they were yet to decide if the ban would be revoked if the channel offered to take programmes which showed too much flesh off air.