Star Plus replies to show cause notice

Star Plus, the general entertainment channel that telecasts the controversial show Sach Ka Samna sent its reply to the Information & Broadcasting ministry to the show cause notice issued to it last week. In its reply the channels has denied having violated any programming guidelines prescribed under the Cable TV (Regulation) Act, 1995.

Star Plus has said that that Sach Ka Saamna is based on an international game show and it does not, in any manner, depict obscenity or vulgarity. The channel also argued that it issues parental guidance warning during the telecast of each of the episodes. It also added that the show was being aired at a late night timing of 10.30 pm and thus it was not violating any provisions of the programming code.

The ministry had sent the producers a show cause notice to the channel after there was a furore in Rajya Sabha over the programme. The MPs claimed the content to be obscene which offending good taste and decency. The contestants are asked 21 questions in the show ranging from their professional to personal life. Some of the questions asked in the show so far have been very intimate.

Ban 'Sach Ka Saamna'

Mahendra H Singhi, president of All-India Jain Youth Federation (Hubli chapter), has urged Union information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni to ban the telecast of controversial serial ‘Sach Ka Saamna'.

In a letter to the minister, Singhi has stated that the serial, adapted from the western show ‘The Moment of Truth', will upset the Indian family set-up, leading to large number of divorces, heartbreaks and feuds.

"India is known for traditions, culture and human values. By telecasting the serial, there will be negative impact on the people," he said.

Sach Ka Saamna facing government scrutiny

STAR Plus is maintaining a no-comment stance over its controversial reshow Sach Ka Saamna that got high viewership ratings but is now under the government scanner after being hotly debated in parliament for its content.

"We would not like to comment on the issue as of now," an official from STAR Plus said on Thursday, a day after the issue figured prominently in the upper house of parliament.

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Samajwadi Party MP Kamal Akhtar raised questions regarding the show's content in the Rajya Sabha and said the show that featured "unreasonable questions about a person's bedroom life" was against Indian culture.

Later, the ministry of information and broadcasting also issued a showcause notice to the channel for violating the programming code of the Cable TV Network Act of 1995.

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STAR Plus has to respond to the notice latest by Monday.

Siddharth Basu, head of BIG Synergy Adlabs that is producing the show, said in response:

"I would not like to comment on the issue raised in parliament."

"I have the highest regard for the institution and its members and I am sure things will be well considered and due process will be followed," Basu said in an SMS message.

Based on the American show The Moment of Truth, Sach Ka Saamna features contestants who have to answer 21 questions about their lives after undergoing a polygraph test that determines if an answer is true. A contestant with the perfect score gets to walk away with a prize money of Rs.10 million.

Celebrities like former cricketer Vinod Kambli and actress Urvashi Dholakia have already featured on the show and made some brave revelations.

For instance, Urvashi was asked if she was thrown out of college for teenage pregnancy. Though she said no, the question itself raised many eyebrows.

The first episode of the show, aired on July 15, had received a stupendous response in terms of its Television Rating Points (TRPs) that stood at 3.4 percent as against 1.6 percent registered by the first episode of Iss Jungle Se... on Sony TV, according to data provided by television viewership tracker Audience Measurement and Analytics (aMap).

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni has called a meeting with the broadcaster's bodies Indian Broadcasting Federation and News Broadcasters Association on Thursday to discuss the issue