The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has warned a private news channel for airing a "misleading" programme in which it wrongly questioned the Vice President claiming that he did not salute the national flag on Republic Day, even when he had followed the norms.
In the warning to Sudarshan News TV channel, the ministry said that the channel had twice run the programme with a headline 'Hamid Ansari Jawab Do'.
The ministry said that the Flag Code of India requires that during the ceremony of hoisting or lowering the tricolour or when it is passing in a parade or in a review, all persons present should face the flag and stand at attention.
"The Hon,ble Vice President of India was seen standing in attention during the ceremony. As was required by the code, those present in uniform were rendering the appropriate salute.
"Therefore, the allegations of the channel that the Vice President had defamed/dishonoured the National Flag by not saluting appeared to be intended to cast aspersion on the Vice President as such claim was completely false, misleading, incorrect and in bad taste," the ministry said, adding that a show-cause notice was then sent to the channel.
It also said that representatives of the channel owned up their mistake and assured that they would be careful in future in their interaction with the Inter Ministerial Committee (IMC), which was looking into the matter.
The channel in its reply had also emphasised that it had no motive to hurt the dignity of the constitutional post of the Vice President.
Examining all aspects, the IMC recommended that a warning be issued to the channel to strictly abide by the Programme and Advertising Code.
Following this, the ministry issued the warning to Sudarshan News TV channel to strictly adhere to the Programme and Advertising codes and to be more careful with regard to content to be telecast on the channel.
