Instructions on Broadcasting and Telecasting of Governor's Address
and Assembly
Proceedings issued under Rule 306 of the Rules of Procedure and
Conduct of Business
(Kerala Legislature Secretariat
Thiruvananthapuram
May 2002)
- All camera units shall obtain prior permission from the Speaker to enter the Assembly precincts. The crew members and the correspondents shall exhibit the photo identity cards issued from the Legislature Secretariat so as to enable the watch and ward to identify them
- Permission for live telecast/broadcast will be given only to Doordarshan/All India Radio on special occasions such as Governor's Address and Budget Speech. They will also be permitted to record the question hour for deferred telecast.
- On request submitted to the Speaker, permission may be obtained by the Private TV Channels to record the proceedings of the special occasions and the question hour for deferred telecast.
- To ensure solemnity and dignity of the Governor's Address, the cameras shall be focussed most of the time on the dignitary
- Only wide angle shots of the members of both the sides shall be taken occasionally.
- Cameras shall not be focussed on press and public galleries.
- Cameras shall not record any interruption/disorder or walk out during the Address. In case of any such eventuality, the cameras shall be focussed only on the dignitary.
- Great care shall be exercised in showing the occupant of the Chair. Shots of the presiding officer shall be taken while he is giving a ruling or making an observation/intervention.
- During the presentation of the Budget, camera shall be focussed most of the time on the Finance Minister.
- Occasional group shots may be take neither for the purpose of showing the reaction of a group of members or in order to establish the geography of a particular part of the Chamber.
- Shots of the Presiding Officer giving any instructions to the officers or receiving the advice or any paper from them shall not be taken.
- In no circumstances should close up shots of papers before Members or officers be taken.
- While taking the wide angle shots, as far as possible, officers of the House and others shall not be shown.
- Neither interruptions from, nor demonstrations in, the galleries are "proceedings" and as such they should in no circumstances be televised.
- On occasions of disorder or unparliamentary behaviour, the camera shall focus on the Speaker until order has been restored.
- Camera units/Audio Recording units shall record the proceedings of special occasions and the question hour from the Gallery on the left side of the Speakers podium.
- Any order of the Chair to close down the cameras at any point of time shall be complied with immediately.
- The portions of the proceedings which are not permitted by the chair to go on record or which are expunged subsequently should be erased from the cassettes/CDsso as to bring them in conformity with the written record.
- The proceedings of the Assembly shall be fairly and accurately reported so as to project the dignity of the House and its function as a working body rather than a place of entertainment.
- The recordings shall not be used for satire or ridicule.
- The recordings shall not be utilised for advertisements, election campaigns and commercial purposes.
- All private television/broadcasting and news agencies shall keep video/audiocassettes of the telecast version for a period of thirty days from the date of transmission. In the event of any complaint by any aggrieved party, the Legislature Secretariat would reserve the right to call the relevant video/audio cassette and take appropriate action under rules.
- The entire proceedings of the House telecast/recorded should carry at the beginning a reference of the date of the proceedings, as that would help to authenticate the casettes/CDs being privileged under Article 194(2) of the Constitution.
- Breach or violation of any of the conditions mentioned above would involve action under relevant provisions relating to breach of agreement, misconduct or breach of privilege of the House.