Media One case: Didn’t govt have to tell channel why security nod denied, asks SC

The Supreme Court Wednesday asked if the Centre should have communicated to Malayalam channel Media One the reasons for denying it security clearance.

The Union government had refused to renew the uplinking permission for the Jamaat-e-Islami-owned channel citing national security in January.

On Wednesday, Justice D Y Chandrachud, presiding over a two-judge bench, said: “You are not saying they have committed a crime under the law. Even when a crime is conducted under the law and a chargesheet is filed after investigation, the essence of the investigation is disclosed in the chargesheet. However sensitive your investigation is… once you complete the investigation and file a chargesheet, the chargesheet discloses the material on the basis of which you register an offence.