IHC Sets Aside Rs1m Pemra Fines on TV Channels in Faizabad Case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has set aside regulatory action that imposed Rs1 million fines on several television channels over the alleged broadcast of hate speech during the 2017 Faizabad sit-in. The court has directed the electronic media regulator to reconsider the cases after providing the affected broadcasters a full opportunity to present their positions.

Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas issued a 15-page written judgment while deciding appeals filed by the television channels against the penalties. The court accepted the appeals and remanded the matter for fresh adjudication, meaning the previous regulatory decisions will no longer determine the outcome of the cases.

The dispute stems from broadcasts made during the Faizabad sit-in in November 2017, when protesters gathered at the key junction connecting Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Authorities later initiated proceedings against a number of television channels over content that was alleged to have included hate speech, eventually imposing fines of Rs1 million on each of the broadcasters concerned.

The television channels challenged those penalties before the high court. In its latest ruling, the court focused on the process followed before the fines were imposed and ordered that the broadcasters must be given a proper hearing before any fresh decision is made. The regulator has been instructed to determine the matter again strictly in accordance with the law.

The judgment does not itself decide whether the broadcasts in question ultimately violated applicable media regulations. Instead, it removes the earlier penalties and returns the cases to the regulator, which will now have to reassess the allegations after hearing the television channels and considering their responses.

The Faizabad sit-in has remained the subject of extensive judicial and regulatory scrutiny since 2017. The Supreme Court previously issued a judgment dealing with various aspects of the protest and included directions relating to the media and the electronic media regulator. The latest high court decision addresses the separate penalties imposed on broadcasters in connection with their coverage of the event.

The ruling is significant for Pakistan's broadcast sector because it reinforces the requirement that regulatory enforcement must follow legally prescribed procedures, including providing affected parties an opportunity to be heard. Television networks facing regulatory action will now await the fresh proceedings to see whether the original allegations result in new penalties, different findings or no further action.

The next step rests with the electronic media regulator, which must conduct fresh hearings for the channels concerned and issue new decisions after considering their arguments. Until that process is completed, the Rs1 million fines that were challenged before the court remain set aside under the high court's judgment.