Ofcom revokes TV license of Bharatiya Janata Party Overseas Friends (UK) chairman

TOI London correspondent: Britain’s communications industry regulator Ofcom said on Friday it had revoked two broadcasting licenses of an Indian community television channel run by Kuldeep Shekhawat, chairman of the Bharatiya Janata Party Overseas Friends (UK).Both licenses, MATV National and MATV Music, are held by Middlesex Broadcasting Corporation Limited (MBCL).MATV National is a satellite television service that, as of Friday, airs in Hindi and English on Sky 709, covering news and entertainment for the South Asian diaspora in Europe. MATV Music never aired it, just got a license.In the UK, a broadcasting license must be held by a service provider, which is the person or organization that has editorial control over the programme.In August 2024, Ofcom began an investigation into the control exercised by MBCL over MATV National and MATV Music and determined that MBCL, MATV’s licensee, was not a provider as it had no editorial responsibility for MATV’s output, with control exercised instead by MATV Broadcasting Ltd. Providing television services without a license is a criminal offense in the UK.Shekhawat is the Director of MATV Broadcasting Company. He is the sole director and holds 90% of the shares until July 2025. His wife Alpana now owns 65% of the shares. Ofcom said it would “intentionally refuse” any application to transfer the license to MATV Broadcasting because they are likely to be “unqualified persons”. “In the UK, an individual is not eligible to hold a television license if the objectives of an agency official are entirely or predominantly political in nature. “Kuldeep Singh Shekhawat has been serving as OFBJPUK chairman during this period. We are concerned that OFBJPUK is likely to be an agency whose objectives are entirely or mainly political in nature…” Ofcom said.Shekhawat has run the Wembley-based channel since 2005. He told TOI that his wife Alpana is currently a director and majority shareholder of MBCL.“Ofcom said I was not allowed to run the channel because of my political background. But I only became UK chairman of OFBJP in 2018. Before that, I was not involved in politics. OFBJP is not a political party. It is a social group. We will apply again for a license from another person for 100% of the shares,” he said.