In a significant legal development, the Supreme Court of India has transferred multiple petitions challenging the Cable TV Networks (Amendment) Rules 2021 to the Delhi High Court.

This decision was rendered by a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar, following a request from the Union of India’s counsel. The aim is to ensure a unified and efficient hearing on the issues, given their similarity to challenges posed by the IT Rules, 2021, The Livelaw reported.

Senior Advocate Arvind P. Datar, representing the respondents, noted that the disputes in both the IT and Cable TV Rules primarily concern the three-tier grievance redressal mechanism for media content. This mechanism includes:

1. Self-regulation by broadcasters
2. Self-regulation by broadcasters’ self-regulating bodies
3. Oversight by the Central Government 

The amendments were designed to address complaints about television content breaching the Programme Code or Advertising Code. However, the respondents sought protection from coercive actions under these rules, leading to various High Courts issuing interim orders to prevent the Union from enforcing the rules until a final decision is made.

The Supreme Court’s decision follows a similar move on March 22, when it transferred challenges to the IT Rules, 2021, to the Delhi High Court. This consolidation aims to streamline the legal process, providing a more coherent examination of the shared issues surrounding media content regulation.