New Delhi, Mar 7 (UNI) Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission today issued notices to various television pay channels and cable operators on a petition questioning the practice of TV channels to charge from their viewers while they showed advertisements in their programmes.

The petition filed by voluntary consumer organisation, Society of Catalysts, urged the commission to hold the case as a 'restrictive trade practice' as the viewers were forced to watch advertisements as a precondition for watching the TV programmes and stop the practice forthwith as required under the Consumer Protection Act.

The commission asked the various channels like Star, Zee, ESPN and Neo Sports, and cable operators, including Hathways and Citicable, to reply to the charges.

Complaint had also been made against some of the practices following the introduction of CAS. It was stated that under the system, while every consumer was forced to install a set top box for each television in a home and pay a hefty fee. He was also required to pay monthly charges for each TV receiver in his home.

Consumers had suffered financial losses on this account and in South Delhi alone, the excessive payments on this account amounted to tens of lakhs every month and that this was against the TRAI regulations.

Society of Catalysts, started by the former Delhi Chief Secretary Omesh Saigal, provided free legal services to distressed consumers through its website consumercatalyst.com.

UNI