Broadcast Content Complainants Council (BCCC), the self regulatory body of entertainment channels, has directed STAR Vijay TV to apologize to actress Ranjitha for showing her in a bad light. The channel was asked to apologize to the actress by running a scroll featuring the apology for every two hours for one week starting from September 9th for telecasting its programme ‘Nadanthadhu Enna – Kutramum Pinnaniyum’ on March 21st, 2012.
The order: “In the Council’s opinion, the channel is guilty of violating the complainant’s privacy and dignity. So, it is consequently liable to apologize to the complainant Ranjitha Menon. This programme was found to be in violation of a self-regulatory guidelines of Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF). The channel has clearly undermined the basic rights of the complainant”.
Actually, Ranjitha has approached Karnataka High Court saying that the channel has telecasted certain clippings on the programme ‘Nadanthadhu Enna – Kutramum Pinnaniyum’, invading her privacy. As Star Vijay is an entertainment channel, High Court has forwarded the complaint to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s BCCC. Finally, the verdict has come in favour of the actress.
Vijay TV ordered to apologies to Ranjitha!!!
It is a known fact that actress Ranjitha became more famous owing to the controversies concerning a sex tape which caught her sharing bed with none other than the ungodly spiritual guru – Paramahamsa Nithyananda as seen in the picture above.
However, Ranjitha had denied all allegations and particularly the clippings aired on the show – Nadanthathu Enna–Kutramum Pinnaniyum, precisely dated 21st March, 2012, on STAR Vijay.Evidently, her appeal was presented in written form to the High Court of Karnataka seeking a strict action against the broadcast of these video clips.
Responding to her appeal, the High Court had taken up this issue with the News Broadcasters Standards Authority (NBSA). However, STAR Vijay being an entertainment channel, the Information & Broadcast ministry intervened to forward this case to the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) – a self regulatory body headed by Justice AP Shah.
Surprisingly, the channel will now have to pay the price, featuring an apology every two hours for seven days starting off from September 9 -16. According to the verdict, STAR Vijay was held guilty, as they violated an individual’s ( Ranjitha Menon’s) privacy and dignity as well as the self-regulatory guidelines laid out by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF).
Although, a counter appeal was made, the officials at BCCC clearly disregarded explanations by the higher authorities representing the channel. In addition, special instruction has been given to publish these scrolls in Tamil as well as English every two hours.