Ofcom revokes TV licences of Overseas Friends of BJP (UK) president

TOI Correspondent from London: UK communications industry regulator Ofcom said on Friday it has revoked both broadcasting licences of an Indian community TV channel run by Overseas Friends of BJP (UK) president Kuldeep Shekhawat.

Both licences were held by Middlesex Broadcasting Corporation Limited (MBCL) for MATV National and MATV Music.

MATV National is a satellite television service that, until Friday, broadcast on Sky 709 in Indian languages and English, covering news and entertainment for the South Asian diaspora in Europe. MATV Music has never been on air and just had a licence.

In the UK a broadcasting licence must be held by the provider of the service, that is a person or organisation who has editorial control over programmes.

In Aug 2024, Ofcom started investigating the control exercised by MBCL over MATV National and MATV Music and determined that MBCL , the licence-holder for MATV, was not the provider as it did not did not have editorial responsibility for MATV’s output, but instead, it was MATV Broadcasting Ltd that exercised control. Providing a television service without a licence is a criminal offence in the UK.

Shekhawat is a director of MATV Broadcasting. He was the sole director, holding 90% of the shares until July 2025. Now his wife Alpana has 65% shares. Ofcom said it would be “minded to refuse” any application for the transfer of the licences to MATV Broadcasting on the basis that it appeared that they are likely to be a ‘disqualified person’.”

An individual who is an officer of a body whose objects are wholly or mainly of a political nature is disqualified to hold a TV licence in Britain. “Throughout this time Kuldeep Singh Shekhawat has been president of the OFBJPUK. We were concerned that the OFBJPUK is likely to be a body whose objects are wholly or mainly of a political nature…” Ofcom said.

Shekhawat has run the Wembley-based channel since 2005. He told TOI that his wife, Alpana, is now director of MBCL and majority share-holder.

“Ofcom is saying because of my political background I am not allowed to run the channel. But I only became OFBJP UK president in 2018. Before that I wasn’t involved in politics. OFBJP is not a political party. It is a social group. We will apply for a licence again with 100% shares to a different person,” he said.