Photo: I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
New Delhi: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is reported to have withdrawn the new draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024, which had sparked controversy and criticism over concerns that it could increase government control over online content. The draft Bill had raised significant questions regarding freedom of speech and the extent of the government’s regulatory powers.
Last month, the ministry distributed the draft Bill to a select group of stakeholders for feedback. However, at least three sources, including a senior government official and two industry executives, have confirmed to The Indian Express that the ministry has now requested these stakeholders to return their copies of the draft Bill.
The ministry is expected to revise the proposal and create a new draft. Although the ministry did not respond to requests for comment, it issued a statement on X referring to an earlier draft Bill from November of last year. The statement mentioned that the ministry is conducting a series of consultations with stakeholders and is allowing them until October 15 to provide their feedback. A revised draft will be published following these consultations.
However, the statement did not address the recently withdrawn draft Bill shared with a limited group last month, which was distributed in a watermarked format to prevent leaks, nor did it acknowledge that the ministry had requested the return of these copies. This has led to confusion among stakeholders, particularly those who were not part of the group that received the 2024 draft. An industry source, who wished to remain anonymous, questioned whether they should submit comments on the November 2023 version of the draft, as they had not received a formal copy of it.
