New Delhi, May 29 -- In a major ruling with implications for television broadcasters nationwide, the Delhi High Court has upheld the validity of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) rules restricting advertisements on television channels to 12 minutes per hour, stating that there is "no constitutional guarantee of profitability or unrestricted monetisation of public resources".

A Division Bench comprising Justice Anil Kshetrapal and Justice Amit Mahajan dismissed a batch of 17 writ petitions filed by general entertainment channels, news broadcasters and regional television networks challenging Rule 7(11) of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, along with Regulation 3 of the Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of...