Bombay high court allows 9pm slot after 'Bigg Boss' promises to self-censor

The Bombay high court on Monday allowed the telecast of reality show Bigg Boss in its original 9pm primetime slot, after TV channel Colors gave an undertaking that includes self-censorship. In its fourth season, the programme will end on January 8, 2011.

A vacation division bench of justices SJ Kathawalla and UD Salvi was hearing a fresh petition filed by Viacom 18 Media Pvt Ltd on December 24 after it failed to receive a reprieve from the ministry of information and broadcasting. On December 9, the HC had directed the ministry to issue a fresh show-cause notice and give a hearing to Viacom.

Viacom’s counsel Shyam Diwan and advocate Ameet Naik submitted that the channel undertook not to violate rules, self-censor objectionable scenes and dialogues, and not provide clippings from the programme to any news channels. They also undertook not to screen any dialogue which is required to be beeped and screen any obscene gesture of the participants. The judges observed that the petitioners should not provide news channels with clippings of the episodes mentioned in the ministry’s show-cause notice.

The judges said the ministry could approach the court without issuing a show-cause notice if it found that the channel breached the undertaking.

Earlier, the Union government’s advocate GS Sharma, appearing for the ministry, argued that the purpose of directing Colors to shift the show to 11pm was to prevent children from viewing it.

“Everything is done in the interest of public and children at large,” he argued.

“We are also not interested that children should see trash. Shifting the show to 11pm is not a solution,” riposted justice Kathawalla. “The purpose is that children should not see the programme, and it can be achieved if the channel agrees to self-censor it before telecast,” remarked justice Salvi.

Sharma said the ministry does not have the mechanism to censor programmes. “It is not possible to monitor all channels,” he added. The judges also questioned a condition laid down by the ministry to the channel. The ministry had said that the programme could return to the 9pm slot if the channel did not telecast objectionable content.