The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea by the NGO Sindhi Sangat, which sought to compel the central government to launch a dedicated 24-hour Sindhi language channel on Doordarshan. The bench, led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, along with Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, upheld a previous decision by the Delhi High Court.
The NGO’s petition, which challenged the High Court’s dismissal of their plea, argued for the necessity of a 24-hour channel to preserve the Sindhi language, citing public broadcasting as a vital tool in this effort. Senior advocate Indira Jaising, representing the NGO, emphasized the cultural significance of broadcasting in Sindhi.
However, the top court agreed with the High Court’s rationale, which found that Prasar Bharati’s decision against establishing a full-time Sindhi channel was based on “intelligible differentia.” The High Court noted that while there is an obligation under section 12(2)(d) of the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990, to provide adequate coverage to diverse cultures and languages, the economic sustainability of a full-time channel for a speaker base of approximately 2.6 million was questionable.
Further, the High Court had highlighted Prasar Bharati’s efforts to cater to the Sindhi-speaking population through existing programming in Sindhi on DD Girnar, DD Rajasthan, and DD Sahyadri channels. These channels cover regions with significant Sindhi populations like Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra and are accessible nationwide, including on DTH platforms.
The Supreme Court concurred with the High Court’s view that the inclusion of Sindhi language programming on these regional channels fulfills the statutory requirement for adequate coverage, finding the approach both rational and reasonable.
