Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha that the Telecom Regulator Authority of India had notified the regulation namely 'Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels (Amendment) Regulations 2013' on March 22, 2013.
One of clauses provides that no broadcaster shall, in its broadcast of a programme, carry advertisements exceeding 12 minutes in a clock hour.
Rathore said the aforesaid regulations have been challenged by some broadcasters before the Delhi High Court which had on December 17, 2013 passed an interim order saying 'till the disposal of these writ petitions, the respondent /TRAI is restrained from taking any coercive measures against the petitioners or their members to make them abide by the impunged regulations'.
The matter is sub-judice, he said.