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UK revokes licence of community channel linked to OFBJP chief
The regulatory authority noted that even though MBCL owned the broadcasting licence, operational control lied with Kuldeep Singh Shekhawat's company.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Mon, 09, Feb 2026
- 02:58 EST
- 23
MATV logo / MATV via X
In a major jolt to Indian immigrants in the U.K., the country's broadcasting regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) has withdrawn the licences for MATV National and MATV Music to broadcast in the UK, after its investigation concluded that the licences were wrongfully held by Middlesex Broadcasting Corporation Limited.
MATV broadcasted Indian programming in Hindi, Urdu, English, Gujarati, and Punjabi and also holds another licence to broadcast the MATV Music service, which is also a satellite television service.
Ofcom alleged that the Director of MATV Broadcasting Limited, Kuldeep Singh Shekhawat, who is also the president of Overseas Friends of the Bharatiya Janata Party (UK) (OFBJPUK) exercised control over the broadcasting companies .
However, as per law "a person is a ‘disqualified person’ (and is therefore prohibited from holding a licence) if they are a body which is controlled by an individual who is an officer of a body whose objects are wholly or mainly of a political nature."
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The regulatory authority noted that even though MBCL owned the broadcasting licence, operational control did not rest with the company, but with Shekhawat's MATV Broadcasting limited.
In its public notification, Ofcom noted, "In the UK, broadcasting laws made by the UK Parliament state that broadcast licensees must have control over the licensed services - including editorial oversight over the programmes they show."
The regulator added, "Our investigation concluded that MBCL, the licence-holder for the MATV National and MATV Music services, did not have editorial responsibility for MATV’s output. As such, MBCL does not meet the legal requirement of having control over the licensed services, and so these services were not being broadcast in accordance with licensing requirements."
Ofcom, in its order, concluded, " The Licences are revoked with immediate effect upon service of this Notice" and asked MATV National and MATV Music services to cease broadcast services with immediate effect. However, it also allowed broadcasting to resume if "new licences are granted for the provision of the services."
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