AIDCF seeks to withdraw Kerala HC plea challenging TV Rating Policy landing page exclusion
The federation reserves liberty to file a fresh writ petition on the same or similar cause of action
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Published: Jul 29, 2026 8:09 AM | 2 min read
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- The All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) has filed a Withdrawal Memo with the Kerala High Court to withdraw its writ petition against the Centre's TV Rating Policy, 2026, while reserving the right to file a new petition later.
- The original petition challenged a provision that excludes viewership from Landing Pages in the measurement of television ratings, seeking to quash this exclusion and prevent the implementation of related operational guidelines.
- This withdrawal follows the Kerala High Court's recent decision to vacate an interim stay on the TV Rating Policy, allowing the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to implement the contested provision.
- The High Court's July 24 order indicated that the exclusion of landing page viewership could proceed while the substantive challenge to the policy's constitutional validity remains pending.
The All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) has moved the Kerala High Court seeking permission to withdraw its writ petition challenging the Centre's TV Rating Policy, 2026, while reserving the right to file a fresh petition on the same or similar cause of action, according to a Withdrawal Memo dated July 28, 2026, filed before the High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam.
The writ petition had challenged the proviso to Clause 5.4.1 of the TV Rating Policy, 2026, notified by the Union Government on March 27, 2026. The petition sought to quash the provision "insofar as it excludes viewership arising out of Landing Pages from viewership measurement," along with consequential reliefs restraining the respondents from implementing the operational guidelines issued under the policy.
Read earlier e4m report on landing page case
The memo does not elaborate on the reasons behind the move. It states only that the petitioners, "on account of certain subsequent developments and for reasons, do not propose to prosecute the above writ petition."
The petitioners have requested the court to permit withdrawal of the petition with liberty to institute a fresh writ petition on the same or similar cause of action in the future.
The move comes days after the Kerala High Court vacated its interim stay on the Centre's Television Rating Policy, 2026, allowing the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to implement the provision excluding landing page viewership from official television ratings. The interim protection, granted on May 22, had kept the provision in abeyance while the court heard challenges from AIDCF and DEN Networks.
In its July 24 order, the High Court held that the exclusion of landing page viewership could operate pending adjudication of the case, removing what had been a key hurdle for the implementation of the new ratings framework. However, the substantive challenge to the constitutional validity of Clause 5.4.1 remained pending before the court at that stage.
It remains to be seen whether the High Court will allow the withdrawal and pass an order disposing of the writ petition.
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