ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Summons to be served on Murdoch in obscenity case

A Delhi court has directed the service of summons on media magnate Rupert Murdoch in a complaint alleging the telecast of obscene material on his Star TV network.

The summons is to be served directly in the United States and through his New Delhi office.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Prem Kumar listed the matter for further hearing on July 6 after being informed that the earlier summons of December 19 could not be served because the Australian authorities had clarified that Murdoch was now a citizen of the United States.

Summons sent through the Indian high commission in Washington could not be served as the state department said it did not undertake such work.

The court therefore directed that the summons be served at the address to be provided by complainant Arun Agarwal by both registered post as well as international courier through the Delhi, Hong Kong and American offices of the media magnate.

CMM Kumar, in his order, noted that section 65 of the Indian code of criminal procedure gave wide discretion to the court to choose its own method of serving summons.

In his complaint, Agarwal had alleged that the Star TV channels, particularly Star Movies and Star Plus, were showing films and programmes likely to affect impressionable minds.

Tell us what you think of this report