The Editors Guild of India has condemned the I&B Ministry's issuing of show cause notices to three TV news channels for their coverage related to Yakub Memon hanging. The guild has termed the action as shocking and called for immediate withdrawal of the notices. The Guild's President N Ravi said in a statement that it is shocking that the Information and Broadcasting Ministry should have issued notices to the channels for their coverage of the Yakub Memon issue under the cable TV regulations. <br/><br/>The statement said the regulations were never meant to be used to stop the free and vigorous discussion of matters of public interest however disagreeable the content might be to the government. It further said, Yakub Memon's case before the Supreme Court and the President and the subsequent execution were matters of widespread public interest with sharply polarised viewpoints. The discussion of the issues was obviously in the nature of political speech that should be allowed free expression without curbs. It said that "viewpoints unacceptable to the government ought not to be penalised on the specious plea that they would incite violence or spread hatred." <br/> <br/>The channels have been accused of casting aspersions on the integrity of the President and judiciary, inciting violence and stoking anti-national sentiment.<br/><br/>The Guild said that it is also time for a re-examination of the broadcasting regulations that on the face of it look over-broad and leave room for misuse in violation of the right to Freedom of Expression under Article 19 1(a) of the Constitution.