New Delhi: The information and broadcasting ministry on Friday directed all private satellite TV channels to strictly adhere to the programme code under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act and emphasised that they should not air content that is slanderous, defamatory or based on false innuendos and half truths.

The advisory was issued on the back of a plea moved by actor Rakul Preet Singh in the Delhi High Court where she alleged that TV channels ran defamatory programmes against her in connection with a drugs probe related to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

On September 17, the Delhi HC, while responding to Singh’s appeal for interim relief, ordered, “It is hoped that media houses and television channels would show restraint in their reporting and abide by the provisions of the programme code.”

The ministry’s advisory asked channels to comply with the Delhi HC’s order and said it had, on various occasions in the past, issued advisories to private TV channels to broadcast content strictly adhering to the programme and codes as prescribed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.

The ministry’s advisory said, “Attention is drawn to the provisions of the programme code as per which no programme should contain anything obscene, defamatory, deliberate, false and suggestive innuendos and half-truths.”

It also said no programme should “criticise, malign or slander any individual in person or certain groups, segments of the social, public and moral life of the country”.

All private TV channels are requested to ensure compliance with the directions above, the ministry’s advisory said.

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Days after the Delhi High Court sought a status report on the measures taken by the Centre to restrain the media from trailing actor Rakul Preet Singh, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Friday issued an advisory to all private satellite channels to abstain from airing content that is “obscene, defamatory” and “criticises and maligns or slanders” any individual or groups in the country.

Rakul had approached the Delhi HC seeking a gag order on reports of her links to drugs as part of an investigation into the Sushant Singh Rajput case. Her name, along with that of Sara Ali Khan and Deepika Paduone, had cropped up following a deposition by Rajput’s partner Rhea Chakraborty, to investigative agencies.

In an order on September 17, Justice Navin Chawla of the Delhi HC directed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Press Council of India and National Broadcasting Association to treat her petition as a representation and file status reports indicating all the steps taken by them to address the issue. The ministry was given a deadline of October 15 to respond to the court.

The ministry in its advisory has asked private satellite TV channels to broadcast content strictly adhering to the Programme and Advertising Codes as prescribed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995. The ministry has directed that “no programme should contain anything obscene, defamatory, deliberate, false and suggestive innuendos and half truths” and “criticises, maligns or slander any individual in person or certain groups, segments of social, public and moral life of the country”.