2ND LEAD (CORRECTION)

Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka rules against TRC injunction on Shakthi TV

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 July 2010, 04:11 GMT]
The Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka ruled against the Tele Communication Commission injunction on ‘Shakthi Television’, the Tamil channel of MTV (Pvt) of Maharajah Organization, to continue telecast in Jaffna peninsula from 1 January 2010, in favour of a petition filed by Shakthi, sources in Jaffna said. MTV (Pvt) is a leading concern that had been attacked many times in Colombo by supporters of Sri Lanka government and Shakthi TV journalist Shakthi Theva had been beaten to death in Jaffna by unidentified persons. Its telecast tower in Jaffna Veerasingam Hall had been smashed by unknown persons in the past, the sources added.

The Court of Appeal ordered Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) to issue telecasting permit to Shakthi TV before 4 August on payment of the required fees and instructed the Government of Sri Lanka not to interfere in the telecast.

Shakthi TV had begun telecasting in Jaffna peninsula in 2003 with the required approval of Sri Lanka Defence Ministry, Inland Ministry and TRC.

It is alleged that the telecasts of Shakthi TV had been purposely disrupted from 1 January 2010.