Allowing private FM radio stations, including community radios, to broadcast news could pose a "possible security risk" and may be "exploited" by foreign radical outfits to broadcast fabricated or radical views, government has told the Supreme Court.
Opposing a plea seeking direction for allowing news on private radio stations, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has said there is no mechanism to monitor the contents of news bulletins of every such station and it has to be ensured that community radios are not used as a tool by vested interests.
An affidavit, filed by the Ministry in pursuance to notice issued by a bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar, said community radio stations also air programmes involving chats with NRIs and the local population settled abroad.
"These stations may be exploited by foreign radical organisations to broadcast fabricated/radical views of some of these NRIs, as due to paucity of funds, the radio stations would not be able to afford authentic news sources," it said.
The affidavit said the community and private FM radio station operators may not be allowed to broadcast news and current affairs programmes as it "may pose a possible security risk as there is no mechanism to monitor the contents of the news bulletins of every such stations".
"News and current affairs programmes on community radios are not allowed in the policy guideline to prevent the possibility of misuse of the platform by vested interests for furthering their designs/agenda," it said.
"Community radio is a powerful medium for dissemination of information among the local people. It needs to be ensured that it is not used as a tool by vested interests," the government said.
"In case of policy departure, there are several pitfalls to guard against, bearing in mind the sensitive nature of such broadcasts. It is believed that news and current affairs, with their inherent capability to manipulate the minds of the people, have been advisedly kept beyond the tether of private radio stations," the affidavit said.
It said that "unfettered freedom" to community radio and private FM radio operators to put out news bulletins or current affairs programmes "may be detrimental to national interests and it may be prudent to allow community radio operators to only broadcast AIR's news without any charges and allow private FM operators merely to relay AIR's output for a price based on a national and local rate card of AIR.
The apex court on January 12 had sought a response from
the Centre on a PIL filed by NGO Common Cause seeking a direction to the Centre that private radio stations and community radios be also allowed to broadcast news as they are more accessible for the masses, particularly the poor.
The plea has said unlike television channels, none of the 245 private FM channels and 145 community radio stations in the country are allowed to broadcast their own news and current affairs programmes, which was the monopoly of government broadcaster Prasar Bharati.
"India is perhaps the lone democracy where dissemination of news and current affairs programmes on radio remains a monopoly of the government-owned broadcaster, which owns and operates All India Radio/Akashvaani," the NGO has said.
Separate guidelines for community and FM radio were "discriminatory" as they imposed "unreasonable restrictions" on the broadcast of news and current affairs programmes by them, especially when TV channels and the print media were not subject to such prohibitions, it has said.
The petition has also submitted that Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), which took over the regulatory duties for broadcasting in January 2004, has recommended to the government that rules restricting private and community radio channels from broadcasting news and current affairs programmes be removed.
The NGO has also challenged the validity of the policy guidelines and permission agreements framed by the Centre, saying while these norms allow broadcast of information, including news on sports, traffic or weather, what is not allowed is the broadcast of political news.
The petition said "the guidelines allow 'information' to be broadcast, including news on sports, traffic, weather, cultural events, education and employment, and public announcements made by local authorities on amenities like water and power supply.
"Effectively, there is a ban on political news more than anything else, since many other kinds of news are allowed under the banner of 'information'.
