The Kerala High Court upheld the Union government's ban on Malayalam news channel MediaOne TV on Tuesday. The news station went off the air on January 31 when the Centre halted its broadcast due to "security concerns." Members of Jamaat-e-Kerala Islami's section are said to be supporting the station.
Madhyamam Broadcasting Ltd, which owns MediaOne, filed an appeal against the central government's decision on January 31. Justice N Nagaresh dismissed the appeal.
The Ministry of Home Affairs' decision to withhold security clearance was based on intelligence inputs from multiple agencies, as per the court.
On February 2, the Kerala High Court ordered the Centre to explain why the news channel's telecast permit was revoked. The court had extended its interim injunction deferring the Centre's decision to suspend the channel's license until February. The judge had also requested the home ministry files, which recommended that the channel's security clearance be revoked.
At Tuesday’s session, the High Court said it has gone through the files provided by the home ministry.
"It was determined that security clearance should not be reissued based on those inputs," Justice N Nagaresh stated. "There are factors that support the decision." MediaOne TV's plea to overturn the ban was denied by the court.
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