New Delhi: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry is learnt to have responded to an Election Commission notice on NaMo TV Friday, saying it is an advertisement platform launched by DTH service providers which does not require government nod.
The ministry is also said that NaMo TV is not a regular channel and it does not figure in the official list of approved channels, a source said.
The Information and Broadcasting ministry told the poll panel that as per the existing norms, no approval is required from the it to run such advertising platforms, the source said.
On Tuesday, the EC had issued a notice seeking a report from the ministry on NaMo TV, launched just weeks ahead of the general election, after opposition parties, including the Congress, asked the poll body to direct the ministry to suspend the channel as it was violative of the Model Code of Conduct.
The EC will take a call on whether it violated the model code after going through the documents the ministry files.
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Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 18 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed a bill against hate speech amid a din.
The Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, the first such law in the country, has a provision for a jail term up to seven years and fine up to Rs one lakh.
It was passed amid din by the BJP MLAs.
The bill, cleared by the cabinet on December 4, was presented in the House by Home Minister G Parameshwara on December 10.
The Minister said the provision for 10 years jail term in the event of repeated offence has been reduced to seven years.
According to the bill, any expression, which is made, published or circulated in words either spoken or written or by signs or by visible representations or through electronic communication or otherwise, in public view, with an intention to cause injury, disharmony or feelings of enmity or hatred or ill-will against person alive or dead, class or group of persons or community, to meet any prejudicial interest, is hate speech.
During the discussion, Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh said coastal Karnataka is "burning" due to hate speech and hate crime.
BJP MLAs from the region raised objections to this and then trooped into the well of the house. Other BJP legislators followed them.
Later, the bill was passed.
