Delhi HC issues notice to Centre on PIL objecting 'Television Audience Measurement Services' being carried out by private bodies

New Delhi [India], December 21 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre and others on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) stating Television Audience Measurement (TAM) Services are being carried out by an array of private bodies, thus carrying out overriding activities of Constitutionally mandated duties of BIS as prescribed in BIS Act 2016 leading to chaos, convulsion and corruption affecting the public and viewers at large.
The plea stated that due to the non-implementation of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 and alleged illegal creations of so-called trend-setting 'television audience measurement services' bodies/institutions mushroomed to siphoning off government funds and collecting illegal subscription money running in multi-crores of rupees and consumer/viewers sufferings.
Due to the non-implementation of provisions enshrined in the BIS Act 2016, the vital task of developing applicable standards for various Processes and Services in the field of Education, Health, including advertisements through digital media and "television audience measurement Services", and so on are being carried out by an array of private bodies, stated the plea.
The bench headed by Delhi High Court chief justice Satish Chander Sharma also comprising with Justice Subramonium Prasad on Wednesday issued notice to several Ministries of the Centre Government including the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and other respondents on the plea.
The PIL has been filed by the Veterans Forum for Transparency in Public Life and stated that the arrays of Private bodies have devised their own arbitrary, unscientific, untested, and illegal standards which are devoid of Peer review. Coupled with unfettered power in the guise of autonomy, these private bodies have created a parallel system of standard setting.
The High Court has now also called for the response of the BARC, Indian Broadcasting Foundation, News Broadcasters Federation, and any other agency which are allegedly performing the functions of the BIS.
The plea has raised objections to private entities being in control of the TRP ratings and audience measurement, as 'illegal' and a violation of the BIS Act. The petitioners have alleged that it was the responsibility of the Ministry of Food and Civil supplies to prescribe rules regarding the standardization of ratings for the BIS to perform its 'statutory duty'.