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Suspecting that a video clip of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab's [Images] court hearing has been leaked to the media, the government has advised television channels not to broadcast it.

Officials of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting have been calling up TV channels, telling them that that they should not telecast the footage if they have obtained it, sources said.

No reasons have been given by the ministry for its advice against the telecast of the footage of Kasab's hearing which was conducted in Mumbai [Images] recently via video-conferencing.

In view of the ministry's advice, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has sent out a circular to all member news
channels and their editors, asking them to desist from running "any programme or news reports containing the text or details
or any other similar material relating to Kasab".

In its advisory, the media association has suggested that doing so would be in violation of the 'Code of Ethics & Broadcasting Standards & Guidelines' issued by it.

The advisory to the members issued by NBA Secretary general Annie Joesph also says that such programmes or news reports may be "prejudicial to national interest" or may "interfere" with the course of justice and may therefore also amount to "contempt of court".