The former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, was arrested atthe Oliver Road residence of his second wife during the early hours of Saturday,30-6-2001 on charges of corruption. Selectively edited video footage of thearrest were telecast over Mr. Murasoli Maran's TV channel, Sun TV, withinminutes of the arrest. The channel repeatedly played a three-minute editedversion of the three-hour drama and alleged that the police, when enforcing thearrest, had exceeded their brief and even assaulted the former Chief Minister intotal disregard of his stature and age. They went a step further and virtuallyincited violence in the State by calling upon viewers to register their protest.This by itself violates the Cable TV Act and Sun TV is liable to have itslicence cancelled. But I believe in the freedom of the press. And as such, Ihave refrained from taking such precipitous action against Sun TV, only in thelarger interest of a free press, which is one of the pillars of a workingdemocracy.