Obscene visuals: FTV banned for nine days

The Information & Broadcasting Ministry has banned FTV for the second time in less than four years. The ministry has now slapped a nine-day ban on the channel for “showing women with nude upper body which was offending against good taste and decency”. The “obscene” visuals which have invited the ministry’s ire were aired in a programme on September 4,2009.

The ban on transmission/re-transmission of FTV Channel will start from 7 pm on March 12 till 7 pm on March 21,2010 across India,an I&B Ministry statement said. In 2007,the channel was banned for two months after its programme ‘Midnight Hot’ showed “skimpily dressed and semi naked models”. The ban was,however lifted after the channel regretted the error and said it would not repeat the mistake in future.

“It was noticed by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting that a programme on FTV Channel was telecast on 4.9.2009 at 15:37:34 hours and 19:01:48 hours showing women with nude upper body which was offending against good taste and decency. The visuals were found to be obscene,denigrating women and were not suitable for children and unrestricted public exhibition,” the ministry statement reads.