A writ petition has been filed with the High Court seeking direction for banning three Indian channels – Star Jalsha, Star Plus and Zee Bangla – in Bangladesh within seven days.
Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Syeda Sahin Ara Laili filed the writ yesterday with the vacation bench of the High Court seeking an answer to why the Indian television channels should not be banned in Bangladesh.
Secretaries of Information and Home Ministries and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) chairman are the defendants of the writ petition.
She also urged to submit the compliance report within two weeks to ensure the implementation of stopping the telecast of the three Indian channels.
In the petition, Laili said programmes broadcast by the Indian channels had become one of the major causes for the degradation of the society.
She also said: “Star Plus, Zee Bangla and Star Jalsha are telecasting several TV serials and maximum stories of those serials are of very low in quality, like illegal affairs, quarreling between the mother-in-law and wife and high ambitious life.”
On behalf of the petitioner, Advocate Aklas Uddin Bhuiyan told the Dhaka Tribune that the HC would hold hearing on the petition either next Sunday or Monday.
On August 3, he sent a legal notice through registry post to the information minister, secretary of information and BTRC chairman, seeking a ban on airing all Indian TV channels in Bangladesh within 24 hours.
He sent the notice quoting a news published in a national daily about suicides of two Bangladeshi youths for “Pakhi dress,” a dress worn by a popular character in a drama serial “Bojhena Se Bojhena” telecast on an Indian television channel.