Supreme Court reverses PEMRA fine on news channels

LAHORE: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has annulled the hefty fine of Rs 1 million imposed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on 29 News TV channels, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

According to the details, the ruling comes following the appeals from the affected TV channels, where the SC directed PEMRA to reevaluate the matter comprehensively.

The court emphasized the importance of due process and instructed PEMRA to complete the actions related to the show-cause notices issued to the TV channels within a timeline of three months.

READ: PEMRA cannot suspend licence of any channel, rules SC

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, while delivering the court’s verdict, raised concerns over the authority of the PEMRA committee to take punitive action in such cases.

It is pertinent to mention here that in 2017, PEMRA imposed a fine on media houses for broadcasting false news about the explosion in Lahore.