A view of the Supreme Court of India. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
Justice P.S. Narasimha of the Supreme Court ordered that notices be issued to the State of Andhra Pradesh and 11 other respondents, including the A.P. State FiberNet Ltd. (APSFL), in a writ petition filed by Indira Television Limited (Sakshi TV) wholetime Director B. Ramana Reddy against the alleged disconnection of the channel by the APSFL and nearly all the major Multi System Operators (MSOs) across the State due to the threats allegedly given by the State and its officials.
Mr. Ramana Reddy stated in the petition that the APSFL had disconnected the channel from its distribution platform after the 2024 general elections allegedly without any notice or explanation, and it was quickly followed by similar disconnections by the MSOs. Resultantly, the channel was effectively “blacked out” across the State.
The petitioner’s counsel, Mahfooz A. Nazki, prayed for a declaration that the actions of the respondents, including the disconnection of the channel and the coercive measures taken against the MSOs, were arbitrary and violative of Articles 14, 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(g) of the Constitution.
The court was also urged to direct the respondents to forthwith restore the transmission of the channel to the status as it existed on June 3, 2024, and to refrain from taking any coercive, indirect, or extra-legal measures that interfered with the transmission / distribution of the channel. The matter was posted for further hearing after three weeks.
Published – August 13, 2025 06:40 pm IST
