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Star Plus replies to I&B ministry's showcause on Sach Ka Samna
Monday, July 27, 2009 21:38 IST

New Delhi: Star Plus, the channel that telecasts the controversial programme Sach Ka Samna, today sent its reply to the ministry for Information and Broadcasting to the show cause notice issued to it last week.

The ministry had given a show cause notice to the channel over the programme last week after there was a furore in Rajya Sabha over the programme.

Star Plus officials, when contacted, said they have sent a reply to the notice but refused to divulge its content.

"The reply was sent to the ministry in the afternoon," a Star Plus official said.
Ministry officials could not be contacted despite repeated efforts over the content of the channel's reply.
Meanwhile I&B minister Ambika Soni, while participating in a short-duration discussion on "increasing obscenity and vulgarity in television programmes in Rajya Sabha, said her ministry has sent around 278 notices to TV channels over the last few years for various reasons".

http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_star-plus-replies-to-i-and-b-ministry-s-showcause-on-sach-ka-samna_1277734

Star Plus replies to I&B Ministry on Sach Ka Saamna
Indiantelevision.com Team
(27 July 2009 10:35 pm)
MUMBAI: Star Plus has sent its reply to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, saying that its reality show Sach Ka Saamna has not violated any programming guidelines.

The channel was slapped with a show cause notice by the I&B Ministry on 22 July over the controversial content of the show, following an uproar in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Parliament.

Star Plus was asked to respond by 4 pm today and it has met the deadline, sources say. The channel has clarified that Sach Ka Saamna is based on an international game show and does not depict any vulgarity or obscenity.

On 22 July, the Ministry had issued the show cause notice to Star Plus seeking explanation as to why the series Sach Ka Saamna should not be taken off air. It said that the contents of the episodes of 17 and 21 July and earlier "are vulgar, indecent and against good taste and decency."

Parties demand regulator to keep TV shows under watch

Posted: Tuesday , Jul 28, 2009 at 1332 hrs New Delhi:

Shows ranging from Sach ka Saamna to MTV Roadies, Splitsvilla, Balika Vadhu among others were all put in the dock by the MPs even as they maintained that they were not against the freedom of the press.

I&B Minister Ambika Soni told the House that she agreed with their views and her ministry had already begun talks with broadcasters for creation of an independent regulator which will have on board members from the media community, civil society and Secretary I&B besides a few ministry officials as ex officio members.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Parties-demand-regulator-to-keep-TV-shows-under-watch/494906

Indian reality TV's tryst with truth draws protests

Sunday, 26 Jul, 2009 | 04:09 PM PST |
Indian stage actress, Urvashi, reacts to a question on 'Sach Ka Saamna'.

NEW DELHI: The Indian version of a US reality TV show that extracts secrets from minor celebrities has caused protests and a furore in parliament with its focus on infidelity, incest and other taboo subjects.

MPs from various parties queued up this week to denounce 'Sach Ka Saamna' or 'Facing the Truth' as indecent and an assault on Indian culture.

On Wednesday, the government issued the Star TV company that broadcasts the programme with a show cause notice, asking it to explain why the show should not be banned.

Petitions demanding a stay on broadcasts of the show have been filed with the New Delhi High Court and there have been organised protests outside Star's main offices.

The channel insists the programme -- a version of the US show 'Moment of Truth' -- helps expose social hypocrisy, while cultural commentators have voiced concerns that the government is overstepping on a free speech issue.

Star India Pvt Ltd. is a member of the regional Star TV stable owned by Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

'Facing the Truth' features Indian celebrities who are asked a series of personal questions which they answer in front of a live audience, as well as family and friends.

If they answer truthfully -- determined with the help of a polygraph test -- they win 10 million rupees (208,000 dollars).

As in the US format, contestants are free to quit at any point during the show if they feel uncomfortable.

The questions range from the mildly transgressive: 'Have you ever stolen bed linen from hotels you have stayed in?' to the deeply personal: 'Have you ever asked a woman to abort your child?' Such questions are 'obscene,' according to regional Samajwadi Party MP Kamal Akhtar, who was particularly shocked by one woman being asked, in her husband's presence, whether she was ever tempted to cheat on him.

'The show is against Indian culture,' Akhtar said in parliament.

Hindu nationalist lawmaker S.S. Ahluwalia said the show's backers were 'trying to destroy civilised society.'

Star has until July 27 to respond to the show cause notice, which notes charges that 'Sach Ka Saamna' includes content 'offending good taste and decency'.

The television company insists the accusations are unfounded.

'The show is about having strength of character to face the truth and turn over a new leaf. It is a show that promotes truth and honesty,' a Star spokeswoman told AFP.

Rejecting the charge of indecency, she argued that viewers 'have the remote at their finger tips,' and can change channels if they feel offended.

Siddarth Basu, head of the production company Big Synergy which puts the show together said it was about 'lifting the veil off hypocrisy'.

'The contestants know all the questions because the final 21 are chosen from the 50 they face during the polygraph test. What they don't know is the result of the polygraph test which is revealed during the show,' he told CNN-IBN news channel in an interview.

'Many of them want to tell the truth.'Media critics have focused less on the show's content and more on the government's intervention, which some see as nanny-state censorship.

Mannika Chopra, columnist with the Tribune and Hindustan Times papers, said it was 'not up to parliamentarians' to decide what people should watch on TV, no matter how offended they might be.

Indian Express columnist Shubhra Gupta was similarly insistent that viewers should be the final arbiters of what constitutes good taste -- and good television.

'Unless it appeals to the audiences the show will not run,' Gupta said.

'The line of questioning may be questionable but I don't have the right to force my opinion down anyone's throat,' she said, adding that 'Sach Ka Saamna'had 'raised the bar' on what is permissible.

'In that sense it is a landmark for Indian TV.'

http://beta.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/08-indian-reality-tvs-tryst-with-truth-draws-protests-ts-05

Caught on camera: MPs oppose Sacha Ka Saamna content
Sumit Pande / CNN-IBN
Tue, Jul 28, 2009

New Delhi: Members of Parliament seem to be united against the latest hit TV reality show Sach Ka Saamna. The MPs have called the show vulgar and obscene.

Former cricketer Vinod Kambli caused a controversy with his answers on Sachin on the show Sach Ka Saamna. He may have wriggled out of his moment of truth, but has created enough controversy to make MPs see red.

As the channels focus on celebrities and their personal life for higher ratings, there are voices across the political spectrum now which want government to intervene.

"This entire Television Audience Measurement (TAM) rating system is a sham. the government needs to set up a credible system of its own to judge the ratings," said BJP MP, Ravi Shankar Prasad.

It's not only the TV serials which are drawing flak from the MPs, some want a control on news content and others a tab on the advertisements as well.

"The media has utterly failed in any type of self-regulation. This can not be allowed to go on, we need a regulatory body," said CPM MP, Brinda Karat.

Others like veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal is advocating self-regulation by the media.

"I believe that we need to have a regulatory body which consists of people from the industry itself," said Nominated MP, Shyam Benegal.

After the media boom in the last two decades there are at the moment more than 400 channels - both entertainment and news on air in India - but over the years the Government has refrained from regulating the content in these channels. And the Government does not want to change the policy.

"A self regulatory body is the only way out," said Information and Broadcast Minister, Ambika Soni.

It's a moment of truth also for the Government, it can neither alienate the private channels nor can it say it won't interfere.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/caught-on-camera-mps-oppose-sacha-ka-saamna-content/98021-3.html

Fortified with 'Sach Ka Saamna', Star Plus takes on Colors

Take Colors head on. That seems to be Star Plus' programming plan after 'Sach Ka Saamna' has arrived.

Showing signs of aggression, after being put on the defensive for some time, Star Plus is getting back the Kiran Bedi-hosted 'Aap Ki Kachehri' to fight against Colors' top-rated show 'Balika Vadhu'. The television reality-justice show, which had a successful first run, is returning from 5 August at the 8 pm slot as its original position is taken away by the polygraph-tested reality show Sach Ka Saamna.

"Star Plus is getting on the offensive as they will have two daily prime time reality shows. This could change the game. And we were not expecting 'Aap Ki Kachehri' to occupy the 8 pm slot," says the programming head of a leading Hindi general entertainment channel.

Moving 'Aap Ki Kachehri' into a new time zone could test the strength of the show. When it was launched at the 10.30 pm slot, it had a male skew viewership. "The 8 pm slot in Hindi GECs is female-dominated. The contest with 'Balika Vadhu' will also be interesting as both are non-conventional in approach," says a media analyst.

'Aap Ki Kachehri' drew in more audiences from the northern region and in smaller towns, similar to the viewing base of 'Balika Vadhu'. "We expect Aap Ki Kacheri to expand the market. It could also take away some audiences from Balika Vadhu. We expect it to do a bit of both," says Star India EVP marketing and communications Anupam Vasudev.

Vasudev also expects 'Aap Ki Kachehri' to garner audiences from the non-GEC channels. "There is a significant male viewing population in the non-GEC channels at 8 pm. The show tends to draw in viewership from these channels," he says.

Star Plus' relatively weaker show, 'Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil', at 8.30 pm is being refreshed with 'Sajan Ghar Jaana Hai'. The channel hopes the new show would have a lead-in advantage from 'Aap Ki Kachehri'.

"Star Plus is creating an 8-9 pm band. And it is the right time to be aggressive and get in Aap Ki Kachehri as Zee TV's new shows are also picking up. If they would have waited for Sach Ka Saamna to complete its run before getting in Aap Ki Kachehri, it would, perhaps, have been a bit late. This is the right time to strike when Sach Ka Saamna is creating a ripple," says a media observer.

Star Plus is also strategically pushing the two prime time shows Kis Desh Mein Hain Mera Dil and Raja Ki Aayegi Baarat to the afternoon band. "They have enough steam left in them to do well in the afternoon band," says Vasudev.

Source:www.indiantelevision.com

HC dismisses petitions challenging telecast of 'Sach Ka Samna'
PTI 29 July 2009, 12:45pm IST

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed two petitions seeking a stay on the controversial TV show 'Sach Ka Samna', saying that
moral policing is not its function.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah suggested the petitioners to approach the central government over it.

"It is for the government to decide whether the programme should be banned or not. It is not the function of the court ... There are far more serious problems in this country which we have to settle," the bench said.

Two petitioners, Deepak Maini and Prabhat Kumar, had approached the court seeking a stay on the show being telecast on Star Plus channel alleging that the programme was against the values of the Indian society.

Rejecting it, the court said, "Our culture is not so fragile that it would be affected by one TV programme."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/India/HC-dismisses-petitions-challenging-telecast-of-Sach-Ka-Samna-/articleshow/4833218.cms

Delhi HC dismisses petitions seeking stay on 'Sach Ka Samna'

New Delhi

July 29 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed two petitions seeking a stay on the controversial TV serial 'Sach Ka Samna', a game show where contestants are asked a series of prying questions.

Dismissing the petitions, the court said moral policing is not its function.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah, who heard the matter, said: "It is for the government to decide whether the programme should be banned or not.

It is not the function of the court ... There are far more serious problems in this country which we have to settle."

Deepak Maini and Prabhat Kumar had approached the court with a petition saying its content is against Indian values and morality.

Earlier, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had issued a show cause notice to TV channel STAR Plus after furore in the Rajya Sabha.

Many MPs demanded that the show should be banned. They have called the show vulgar and obscene.

It was pointed out in the Parliament that 'obscene questions are asked by the anchor in this program. (ANI)

http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/114267

Truth can't harm, court says; dismisses plea against 'Sach Ka Saamna'

2009-07-29 19:20:00

Citing India's 'high ethos' and 'rich heritage' and quoting Mahatma Gandhi, the Delhi High Court Wednesday dismissed the plea against the controversial reality TV show 'Sach ka Saamna' and stated that no one should have any problem if people are telling the truth in open. A division bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice Manmohan said, 'India is a land of rich heritage and high ethos and speaking truth is not harmful at all..... If someone wants to speak truth in public let him do so...' Giving the example of the Father of the Nation, the bench also noted: 'If people are taking inspiration from Gandhi and then coming out and speaking the truth, we don't think there is anything wrong in the same.' It also stated that courts have more important things to do than moral policing. 'It is for the government to decide whether the programme should be banned or not. It is not the function of the court... There are far more serious problems in this country which we have to settle.' It asked the petitioners, Deepak Maini and Prabhat Kumar, to approach the central government with their plea. The petitioners had approached the court seeking a stay on the show being telecast on Star Plus channel, alleging that it was against the values of Indian society. But the court said: 'Our culture is not so fragile that it would be affected by one TV programme. Those who don't want to see it can switch off their TV sets or can watch any other channel.' The show had last week created an uproar in parliament, following which the information and broadcasting ministry had issued a show-cause notice to the channel. The petitioners alleged that the programme posed 'obscene' questions to the contestants and cited the example when a woman was asked in her husband's presence if she had a physical relationship with another person. When she said no, the polygraph test said the answer was wrong. 'sach ka Saamna', based on the popular American TV show 'Moment of Truth', started this month and has climbed popularity charts. http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=jh3tu2acdhc&title=Truth_can_t_harm_court_says_dismisses_plea_against_Sach_Ka_Saamna

Sach ka Saamna offends? Turn off your TV: Delhi HC

Posted: Thursday , Jul 30, 2009 at 1121 hrs New Delhi:

Delhi High Court today threw out two petitions against the game show Sach ka Saamna, saying "moral policing" was not its job, and advised those offended by the show to turn off their TVs.

The judges slammed the petition as an example of the "misuse" of public interest litigation and, going a step ahead, also ridiculed the "hypocrisy of various ministers and parliamentarians" over deciding broadcasting law and television content.

"In this land of Gandhi, it appears that nobody follows Gandhi... Follow the Gandhian principle of 'see no evil'. Why do you not simply switch off the TV?" a division bench of Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice Manmohan told the petitioners.

"We have very good advice for you. You have got two judges sitting here who do not watch TV at all. It will certainly help."

Individual ideas of morality were not the business of the court, the judges said. "We are not sitting here for moral policing... You approach the Parliament and get the remedy. The courts cannot be expected to deal with issues that involve different individual perceptions."

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sach-ka-saamna-offends-turn-off-your-tv-delhi-hc/495943/