New Delhi, Mar 7 (UNI) The telecast of AXN channel programmes was prohibited in India with effect from January 17 for airing obscene programmes, but the order was withdrawn on March one following the channel's submission of apology, the government today said.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said it was the ninth channel to be banned in India.

So far, 188 warnings have already been issued to various channels against the telecast of objectionable content by them.

Mr Dasmunsi said initially the ban was enforced on AXN channel till March 15, but it was withdrawn with effect from March one, subsequent to their submission of apology.

In addition, an advisory was issued to AXN on March 30 last year for telecast of a programme -- Men's World -- on January 18, 2006, asking the channel to be more careful in choice of language, treatment of women and of the subject in the programme and audio-visual presentation to ensure ''strict conformity with the Programme Code''.

The minister said during the last two years -- 2005 and 2006 -- 195 show cause notices (SCNs) had been issued to various TV channels for violations of the Programme/Advertising Code prescribed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.

''A substantive number of these SCNs were issued for telecasting obscenity,'' he informed the House.

He said the Central Government had constituted an Inter-ministerial Committee under the 1995 Act to look into the violation of the Programme Code and Advertising Code. The committe, either suo motu or on receipt of complaint, examines cases of violation of the codes.

UNI