ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday served a notice to Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) over ban on court coverage.

As per details, Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard the petition filed by the Journalists Association, challenging the authority’s notification and restrained PEMRA from taking disciplinary action against TV channels.

Furthermore, the hearing on the petition against the PEMRA notification has been adjourned until May 28.

The Islamabad High Court has issued notices to PEMRA and the Secretary of Information, and the petitioners, including Barrister Omar Ayaz Gullani, appeared in court. The President of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, Riasat Ali Azad, also appeared before the court.

The development came after four petitions were filed against Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (Pemra) notification prohibiting TV channels from news of court proceedings.

The petitions mentioned as respondents the Pemra chairman and director general, the federal government through the secretaries for interior and law and parliamentary affairs.

The petitions called for the Pemra notification to be suspended, set aside and declared illegal.

According to a notification issued by the ele­ctronic media regulator on Tuesday, all news channels have been barred from airing material about ‘ongoing court cases’ until a final verdict is announced.

The media regulatory authority imposed ban on news regarding subjudice cases and directed the channels to only air information that is in the public interest.

PEMRA also directed the media outlets to avoid expressing their ‘opinions on subjudice cases’. It also warned against discussing ongoing court cases in TV programmes in a way that could ‘influence’ investigations or the trial.

The regulatory body has emphasised that only information that is deemed necessary for the public will be allowed to be disseminated through media channels.