The Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by Sakshi TV, owned by YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, over the stoppage of its broadcast on the AP FiberNet network. The court made it clear that the dispute should be resolved before the appropriate regulatory platform instead of approaching the apex court directly.
A bench led by Justice P. S. Narasimha rejected the writ petition and advised Sakshi TV to pursue remedies through the TDSAT mechanism. The court underlined that such matters fall under the jurisdiction of telecom and broadcasting authorities, not the Supreme Court.
Earlier, Sakshi TV alleged that its transmission was deliberately blocked on AP FiberNet. The channel claimed that the state government was restricting media freedom by preventing its broadcast. Based on these claims, Sakshi TV sought urgent intervention from the top court.
However, the judges did not accept this argument at this stage. Instead, they stressed that the channel must first exhaust the available legal remedies under the telecom dispute framework. Therefore, the court declined to entertain the petition.
This is not the first time Sakshi TV has approached the Supreme Court on this issue. In a previous instance, the court issued notices to AP FiberNet and several multi-system operators after similar allegations were raised.
Meanwhile, the latest ruling sends a strong message on procedural discipline. It reinforces that broadcasting disputes must follow the prescribed legal route. As a result, Sakshi TV will now need to approach the designated tribunal to seek relief.
The decision also carries wider significance. It highlights the balance between media freedom and regulatory oversight within the legal system.
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