The Hindu : Covering cricket: Centre for early hearing

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 09, 2004

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Covering cricket: Centre for early hearing

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, MARCH 8. The Centre today approached the Madras High Court for an early hearing of two public interest litigation petitions seeking broadcasting rights of the coming India-Pakistan cricket series for the national broadcaster, Prasar Bharati.

On March 6, the First Bench, comprising the Chief Justice B. Subhashan Reddy and Justice P. Shanmugam (since retired), admitted the PILs — filed by Krishnaswamy Associates Private Limited and the Citizen, Consumer and Civic Action Group — and posted them to March 10 for further hearing.

Today, the senior Central Government Standing Counsel, Madana Gopal Rao, mentioned the matter before the First Bench and prayed for an early listing of the case. The Bench conceded the plea, and posted the PILs to Tuesday for hearing.

The petitioners contended that Prasar Bharati was a statutory body created primarily to protect the interests of the public with regard to access to such major sporting events as the India-Pakistan cricket series. The TRAI, on its part, was also duty-bound to ensure that Ten Sports, which has bought the rights from the Pakistan Cricket Board, provided the requisite facilities at a reasonable cost and that the public had access to the event.

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