Section 6 in Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994
6. Programme Code.
(1)No programme should be carried in the cable service which-(a)offends against good taste or decency;(b)contains criticism of friendly countries;(c)contains attack on religions or communities or visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups or which promote communal attitudes;(d)contains anything obscene, defamatory, deliberate, false and suggestive innuendos and half truths;(e)is likely to encourage or incite violence or contains anything against maintenance of law and order or which promote anti-national attitudes;(f)contains anything amounting to contempt of Court;(g)contains aspersions against the integrity of the President and Judiciary;(h)contains anything affecting the integrity of the Nation;(i)criticises, maligns or slanders any individual in person or certain groups, segments of social, public and moral life of the country;(j)encourages superstition or blind itself;(k)denigrates women through the depiction in any manner of the figure of a woman, her form or body or any part thereof in such a way as to have the effect of being indecent, or derogatory to women, or is likely to deprave, corrupt or injure the public morality or morals;(l)denigrates children;(m)contains visual or words which reflect a slandering, ironical and snobbish attitude in the portrayal of certain ethnic, linguistic and regional groups;(n)contravenes the provisions of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 (37 of 1952); (o) is not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition:Provided that no film or film song or film promo or film trailer or music video or music albums or their promos, whether produced in India or abroad, shall be carried through cable service unless it has been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) as suitable for unrestricted public exhibition in India.(o)[ is not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition [Inserted by Notification No. G.S.R. 710(E), dated 8.9.2000 (w.e.f. 29.9.1994)]Explanation . - For the purpose of this clause, the expression "unrestricted public exhibition" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in the Cinematograph Act, 1952 (37 of 1952).](p)[ contains live coverage of any anti-terrorist operation by security forces, wherein media coverage shall be restricted to periodic briefing by an officer designated by the appropriate Government, till such operation concludes. [Inserted by Notification No. G.S.R. 216(E), dated 21.3.2015 (w.e.f. 29.9.1994)]Explanation. - For the purposes of this clause, it is clarified that "anti-terrorist operation" means such operation undertaken to bring terrorists to justice, which includes all engagements involving justifiable use of force between security forces and terrorists.](q)[ depicts cruelty or violence towards animals in any form or promotes unscientific belief thatcauses harm to animals:] [Inserted by Notification No. G.S.R. 804(E), dated 19.8.2016 (29.9.1994).](2)The cable operator should strive to carry programmes in his cable service which project women in a positive, leadership role of sobriety, moral and character building qualities.(3)[ No cable operator shall carry or include in his cable service any programme in respect of which copyright subsists under the] [Inserted by Notification No. G.S.R. 710(E), dated 8.9.2000 (w.e.f. 29.9.1994)] [Copyright Act, 1957 (14 of 1957)] [Substituted by Notification No. G.S.R. 26(E), dated 18.1.2001 (w.e.f. 29.9.1994)] [unless he has been granted a licence by owners of copyright under that Act in respect of such programme.] [Inserted by Notification No. G.S.R. 710(E), dated 8.9.2000 (w.e.f. 29.9.1994)](4)Care should be taken to ensure that programmes meant for children do not contain any bad language or explicit scenes of violence.(5)Programmes unsuitable for children must not be carried in the cable service at times when the largest numbers of children are viewing.(6)[ No cable operator shall carry or include in his cable service any television broadcast or channel, which has not been registered by the Central Government for being viewed within the territory of India:[Provided that a cable operator may continue to carry or include in his cable service any television broadcast or channel, whose application for registration to the Central Government was made on or before 11th May, 2006 and is under consideration, for a period upto 15th June, 2009 or till such registration has been granted or refused, whichever is earlier:] [Inserted by Notification No. G.S.R. 282(E), dated 11.5.2006 (w.e.f. 29.9.1994).]Provided further that channels unlinking from India, in accordance with permission for uplinking granted before 2nd December, 2005, shall be treated as "registered" television channels and can be carried or included in the cable service.](7)[ where the Central Government is satisfied that the programme of any channel is not in conformity with the Programme Code, it may, after giving an opportunity of hearing to the cable operator, and by an order in writing, prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of any such channel or programme in accordance with the provisions of section 20 of the Act.] [Inserted by Notification No. G.S.R. 416(E), dated 17.6.2021 (w.e.f. 29.9.1994).]
