Plea in Madras HC calls for issuance of Censor Certificate before airing Bigg Boss, other TV shows

The Madras High Court has issued notice to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in a PIL calling for the regulation of Television reality shows such as Bigg Boss by a censor body akin to the CBFC..The plea moved by an Advocate, K Suthan came up on Wednesday before a Bench of Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad. In his petition, Suthan registers protest against the “abusive” content aired on the show. His petition states,.“… the said Television Channel [Star Vijay] telecasting such an abusive programme is only with a view to increase the TRP rating and to get monetary benefits without any social responsibility…. Telecasting such a programme will fade away the future of school and college students, who are very regular viewed. [sic]”.Suthan goes on to submit that the show involves the depiction of objectionable “filthy” language and “obscene dressing” which would lead youngsters down a wrong path..Particular reference is also made to episodes in earlier seasons of the show wherein “the male and female participants… used to hug each other without any age difference which is against our culture and it leads to social degradation [sic].”.He further highlights that the participants indulge in such behaviour with a view to break into the film industry..Notably, he has pointed out that unlike films, there is no censoring body to monitor such objectionable content in TV reality shows. Suthan also argues that there is more choice involved in whether a person opts to watch a movie, which is only screened after obtaining a CBFC censor certificate. On the other hand, he submits that the reach of TV shows are much more pervasive. As noted in his petition,.“…viewing television is inevitable, it cannot be denied if one person in a family opts to watch a particular show obviously the other family members are also indulged in it.”.He also adds that such content is aired in violation of the applicable regulations and without following any “cultural or ethical control.” .Arguing that such programmes are embarrassing for elders, and that they would adversely affect the future of children and lead to “social dilapidation”, the petitioner has sought Court’s intervention in the matter..The PIL was moved after a representation made to the CBFC and other relevant parties to constitute a body to censor programmes such as Bigg Boss went unanswered. Suthan has now prayed that the Court direct the Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) to initiate action against the broadcasters of Bigg Boss for broadcasting content in violation of the IBF Content Code and Broadcasting Rules, 2011..This apart, he has also prayed that the Court direct the constitution of a committee to censor the programme and that Star Vijay be restrained from broadcasting Bigg Boss until the issuance of a censor certificate..The third season of the show is due to be aired on Star Vijay from June 23. Actor-cum-politician, Kamal Hassan has been hosting the Tamil edition of the show since it first aired in 2017. However, the Court has not issued notice to Hassan in the present PIL..Image taken from here.