Cricket Association of Bengal Case (1995) | Airwaves Are Public Property Explained

Case 30 of 30 in Law Easy's Media Law series. Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting v. Cricket Association of Bengal, Supreme Court of India, decided 1995. FACTS The Cricket Association of Bengal wanted to arrange television coverage of cricket matches, including the Hero Cup. A dispute arose about who could produce and send the television signal and whether Doordarshan could insist on controlling the broadcast. WHAT THE COURT HELD In 1995 the Supreme Court held that airwaves, the radio frequencies used for broadcasting, are public property and their use must serve the public interest. A state monopoly is not an automatic answer to every broadcasting request. The Court called for an independent public authority to regulate airwaves and recognised that Article 19(1)(a) protects both giving and receiving information. EXAM POINT Broadcasting differs from printing because signals use limited technical resources, which justifies regulation but not treating airwaves as the personal voice of the party in government. PREVIOUS CASE: Justice K. S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India - https://youtu.be/h5K93tLtKGg FULL PLAYLIST (all 30 cases in order): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY-t71WbMh6k COMPLETE LECTURE (all 30 cases, 1 hour 52 minutes): https://youtu.be/8AFvktrLPM4 Made for LL.B. students and for CLAT PG, UGC NET Law and judiciary exam preparation. Subscribe to Law Easy for the full law course. Notes: https://www.thelaweasy.com #MediaLaw #Broadcasting #LawEasy