The existing laws give the government sufficient powers to legally act against channels that are violating the conditions contained in the licensing agreements and therefore the proposed amendments are unnecessary, Kamlesh Sutar, working committee member of Television Journalists Association (TVJA), said.

The delegation members who met the Governor on Friday, requested him to convey their sentiments to the President and Prime Minister, a Raj Bhavan release said.

Mentioning that the move by the Central Government to amend the Cable and TV Network Act would be “a throwback to the dark days of Emergency,” the delegation told the Governor that the provisions would “subjugate the media to government control”.

“The proposed amendment, if passed, would empower district magistrates, sub-divisional magistrates and even the police to block transmission by any channel resulting in suppression and regulation,” another member of the delegation said.