HC sends notice to CBFC on plea against ‘Bigg Boss’ show

A division bench comprising Justice S Manikumar and Justice Subramonium Prasad before whom the plea came up for hearing on Wednesday, while refusing to grant any interim stay restraining the broadcast of the show scheduled to go on air on June 23, also ordered notice returnable within two weeks.

However, the bench excluded Kamal Haasan from the list of respondents for issue of notice.

Also, noting that in one of the episodes in the last season, both the male and female participants in swim suits play a game with titillating gestures and words with double meaning, said, “The whole show is against the ‘IBFs Content Code and Certification Rules 2000’ for non-news and current affairs in television channels, which expressly prohibits sex, obscenity and derogatory content. But the video channels across the country are not bothered about the same.”

Based on this, the petitioner wanted the court to direct the creation of a board to censor tv programmes such as ‘Bigg Boss 3’ prior to its broadcast and restrain broadcasting of the said programme without censor.

As an interim injunction, the plea also sought for a direction restraining Star Vijay Television from telecasting Bigg Boss 3 without censor certificate from IBF in any manner. The plea also sought IBF to take appropriate action against Star Vijay Television and Endemol India Private Ltd for airing programmes in gross violation of therules framed.