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Tag: Karnataka HC

  • Contempt proceedings against channels on crime serials adjourned

    Contempt proceedings against channels on crime serials adjourned

    BANGALORE: A division bench of the Karnataka HC comprising of justices A M Farooq and B S Patil adjourned contempt proceedings against Sun Network’s Kannada channel Udaya TV and ETV for telecasting crime based serials to March 14.

    On January 12, bailable warrants were issued against the channels based on a petition filed by Bangalore advocate A. V. Amarnathan.

    The programmes referred in the petition were Udaya’s Crime Story, produced and directed by Balakrishna Kakatkar and ETV’s Crime Diary produced and directed by Ravi Belegere.

    As reported by indiantelevision.com over the last two months, the state government had sought direction from the HC to ban the two serials since they were effecting fair trials of criminal cases, infringe upon the rights of citizens and adversely effect public interest, based on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Amaranthan. The government had also sought a blanket direction to the media not to carry stories in violation of the criminal justice system

    The Karnataka High Court (HC) had permitted the advocate general to file contempt proceedings against two Kannada crime serials following Government counsel arguments that the opinions expressed in the serials about the innocence or guilt of the accused in any manner were pre-judicial to the interest of the justice delivery system, as it amounted to holding a parallel trial. Continued telecast of the serials could constitute contempt of court.

    The serials were accused of presenting facts even before filing of an FIR, such as recorded views of police officers, interviewing criminals, victims and/or their next of kin, hence resulting in a trial by media, prejudicing and interfering with the judicial proceedings.

  • Karnataka HC permits AG to file contempt proceedings against crime serials

    BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court (HC) has permitted the advocate general (AG) to file contempt proceedings against two Kannada crime serials ‘Crime Dairy” and “Crime Story” being aired by ETV and Udaya TV respectively.

     

    As reported by indiantelevision.com, the state government had sought direction from the HC to ban the two serials since it believes that the telecast is effecting fair trials of criminal cases. The government has sought a blanket direction to the media no to carry stories in violation of the criminal justice system. These submissions were made before chef justice N K Sodhi and Justice B Padmaraj.

     

    Government counsel argued that the opinions expressed in the serials about the innocence or guilt of the accused in any manner were pre-judicial to the interest of the justice delivery system, as it amounted to holding a parallel trial.

     

    The case was adjourned to 17 January for further hearing.

  • Karnataka HC relieves theaters from moratorium obligation

    Karnataka HC relieves theaters from moratorium obligation

    BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court ruled on Wednesday, 3 November that theater owners need not abide by moratorium on release of other language (non-Kannada films) as no order has been passed by the government, after the government advocate informed the HC that that it has neither prohibited theatres from exhibiting non-Kannada films nor imposed any condition in this regard.

    This interim ruling was given by the court while hearing a petition filed by owners of two theaters – Cauvery and Vybhav. Notices have been issued to State Government, Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerece (KFCC), respective associations of Karnataka Film Producers (KFPA), Karnataka Film Directors Association (KFDA), theater owners, the Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV) and the city police.

    The High Court said that the petitioner-exhibitors need not abide by the Clause (4) of the resolution passed by the government-headed panel, to solve issues related to the Kannada film industry. The committee had imposed a seven-week moratorium for releasing non-Kannada films. The Clause (4) says the KFCC would implement the agreement reached with the exhibitors in 1994 for not releasing new non-Kannada films for seven weeks after their release, in their respective states.

    The theater owners had approached the HC asking it to quash the order imposing the seven-week moratorium on the release of other language films in the state issued on 3 September. The petitioners contention is that there are not enough releases of Kannada language films in the state and if they were to wait for seven weeks before release of other language films, they would have no audiences to see the films as pirated CD’s and DVD’s would be available by then. The petitioners have also asked the court to direct the police to give protection to theaters screening non-Kannada films in the state and also to instruct the KRV not to cause any damage to the petitioners’ interest.

    Theater owners have in the mean time decided to adhere to the new three-week moratorium until the Film Federation of India-CM meeting scheduled to be held on 9 November. No Non-Kannada films are scheduled for release on Friday, November 5, 2004.

    In spite of the SC and the HC decisions against the moratorium, the KFPA still hopes that the other language film theater owners will abide by what they term as an out-of-court settlement of a three week moratorium for the benefit of the Kannada film industry.