DHAKA: The High Court on Monday (May 6) directed authorities of all TV channels not to broadcast such news and headlines sponsored by commercial organisations from September 1 this year.

The HC bench of Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury and Justice Sashanka Shekhar Sarkar passed the order after disposing of an HC rule previously issued following a writ petition.

The court declared publishing news and headlines sponsored by any commercial organizations illegal as those are against the spirit of the articles 31, 31 and 39 of the constitution, Barrister Masud Ahmed Sayeed, the lawyer for the writ petitioner, told Banglanews. 

In its order, the court observed that nowadays viewers used to see the news presenters saying ‘this bank business news, that hospital health news’. The court has banned such commercials and asked all the television channels to comply with the order from September 1, he added. 

Earlier on October 17 in 2011, MA Matin, a retired teacher of Dhanmondi Government Laboratory High School, filed the writ petition challenging the legality of sponsored news and headlines on television channels.

After hearing the petition, another HC bench issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why broadcast of news and headlines, sponsored by different organisations, on TV channels should not be declared illegal.

BDST: 1955 HRS, MAY 6, 2019
RS