THE CABLE TELEVISION NETWORKS (REGULATION) AMENDMENT ACT, 2000
ACT NO. 36 OF 2000
[1st September, 2000]


An Act further to amend the Cable Television Networks (Regulation)

Act, 1995.



BE it enacted by Parliament in the Fifty-first Year of the Republic of

India as follows:-


1.
Short title.


1. Short title.-This Act may be called the Cable Television Networks

(Regulation) Amendment Act, 2000.


2.
Amendment of section 2.


2. Amendment of section 2.-In the Cable Television Networks

(Regulation) Act, 1995 (7 of 1995) (hereinafter referred to as the

principal Act), in section 2, clause (a) shall be re-lettered as

clause (aa) and before clause (aa) as so re-lettered, the fol owing

clause shall be inserted, namely:-



'(a) "authorised officer" means, within his local limits of

jurisdiction,-



(i) a District Magistrate, or



(ii) a Sub-divisional Magistrate, or



(iii) a Commissioner of Police,



and includes any other officer notified in the Official Gazette, by

the Central Government or the State Government, to be an authorised

officer for such local limits of jurisdiction as may be determined by

that Government;'.


3.
Omission of section 5.


3. Omission of section 5.-In section 5 of the principal Act, the

proviso shall be omitted.


4.
Omission of section 6.


4. Omission of section 6.-In section 6 of the principal Act, the

proviso shall be omitted.


5.
Substitution of new section for section 8.


5. Substitution of new section for section 8.-For section 8 of the

principal Act, the following section shall be substituted, namely:-



"8. Compulsory transmission of Doordarshan channels.-(1) Every cable

operator shall, from the commencement of the Cable Television Networks

(Regulation) Amendment Act, 2000, re-transmit at least two Doordarshan

terrestrial channels and one regional langu ge channel of a State in

the prime band, in satellite mode on frequencies other than those

carrying terrestrial frequencies.



(2) The Doordarshan channels referred to in sub-section (1) shall be

re-transmitted without any deletion or alteration of any programme

transmitted on such channels.



(3) The Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) established

under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting

Corporation of India) Act, 1990 (25 of 1990) may, by notification in

the Official Gazette, specify the number a d name of every Doordarshan

channel to be re-transmitted by cable operators in their cable service

and the manner of reception and re-transmission of such channels.".


6.
Amendment of section 11.


6. Amendment of section 11.-In section 11 of the principal Act, for

sub-section (1), the following sub-section shall be substituted,

namely:-



"(1) If any authorised officer has reason to believe that the

provisions of sections 3, 5, 6 or 8 have been or are being contravened

by any cable operator, he may seize the equipment being used by such

cable operator for operating the cable television ne work.".


7.
Amendment of section 18.


7. Amendment of section 18.-In section 18 of the principal Act, for

the portion beginning with the words "by such officer" and ending with

the words "specify in this behalf", the words "by any authorised

officer" shall be substituted.


8.
Amendment of section 19.


8. Amendment of section 19.-In section 19 of the principal Act,-



(i) for the portion beginning with the words "an officer, not below

the rank of" and ending with the words "by the State Government in

this behalf", the words "any authorised officer" shall be substituted;



(ii) for the words "any particular programme if it is", the words and

figures "any programme or channel if, it is not in conformity with the

prescribed programme code referred to in section 5 and advertisement

code referred to in section 6 or if it is" s all be substituted.


9.
Amendment of section 20.


9. Amendment of section 20.-Section 20 of the principal Act shall be

re-numbered as sub-section (1) thereof and after sub-section (1) as so

re-numbered, the following sub-sections shall be inserted, namely:-



"(2) Where the Central Government thinks it necessary or expedient so

to do in the interest of the-



(i) sovereignty or integrity of India; or



(ii) security of India; or



(iii) friendly relations of India with any foreign State; or



(iv) public order, decency or morality,



it may, by order, regulate or prohibit the transmission or

re-transmission of any channel or programme.



(3) Where the Central Government considers that any programme of any

channel is not in conformity with the prescribed programme code

referred to in section 5 or the prescribed advertisement code referred

to in section 6, it may by order, regulate or proh bit the

transmission or re-transmission of such programme.".



SUBHASH C. JAIN.

Secy. to the Govt. of India.