The information and broadcasting ministry is of the view that Star News shall have to conform to the guidelines related to foreign direct investment in news channels, and editorial and management control of the channel shall have to remain in Indian hands.
According to senior government officials, as the rules require editorial and management control of channels uplinking from India to be in Indian hands, an exception cannot be made for Star News.
"The editorial and management control of the Star News channel should be in Indian hands. The foreign investor should not have any control over the functioning of the channel," an official said.
The information and broadcasting ministry also said it was still not clear about the ownership of Media Content and Communication Services, which had sought permission to uplink Star News, despite the multiple rounds of clarifications from the company.
The government also said it needed further clarification on the source of funding of Media Content and Communication Services.
Media Content and Communication Services has also sought the government's permission to waive the mandatory condition to secure accreditation from the Press Information Bureau.
The company said since a PIB accreditation was a precondition for Star News to operate as a news channel in the country and it did not fulfill the condition, this clause should not be applied to it. The government is yet to take a final view on the issue.
According to sources in the information and broadcasting ministry, the inter-ministerial group will take a view on the functioning of the channel once it gets the responses from Media Content and Communication Services.
"The response from the company needs to come in before we take a view on the functioning and the validity of its application," a government official said.
