IANS

New Delhi, Oct 3: NDTV Imagine will not stop telecast of "Pati Patni Aur Woh", which has come under attack for showing celebrity couples taking care of babies of strangers, unless the government asks it to do so.

"There is no way we will stop the telecast of this show. We have not received any notice from the information and broadcasting ministry to do so," Shailja Kejriwal, executive vice president (content) of NDTV Imagine, told IANS over telephone from Mumbai.

A ministry official confirmed that no notice has been issued to the channel. "No, we haven't sent any notice to NDTV Imagine," the official said here.

"Pati Patni Aur Woh" is modelled on international reality show "Baby Borrowers". It is about parenting - from living the life of an eight-month pregnant woman to taking care of an infant, a toddler, and a teenager for four days each.

The show, which has celebrity couples, went on air Sep 28.

The channel has said it has got a notice from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) asking it to take the show off air.

The NCPCR alleged that the show was "exploiting children". But channel officials have not responded to the notice due to the Oct 2-4 weekend.

Said NDTV's Kejriwal: "We will discuss further plans Monday. We still have to figure out whether NCPCR has the authority to ask a channel to stop airing a show. If not, then who has it? Because we have not received any notice from the information and broadcasting ministry or the ministry of women and child welfare."

Kejriwal is upset that NCPCR, an autonomous body, went to the media about the issue without seeking clarifications from the channel.

"The format of this show has ... worked all over the world. NCPCR has never bothered to speak to the parents who have given their kids for the show or to us - we would have shown them how the show works.

"The parents who have allowed their kids to come on the show are all young professionals with a mind of their own. Besides, they sit just a house away. This show is a social experiment. There is no winner or loser - it's just about seeing how celebrity couples have a feel of life," she added.

"There are trained nurses on the sets but they are kept behind the camera. NCPCR should have come and seen the way the show is made and how we ensure that nothing goes amiss before sending a notice," said Kejriwal.