Discussions on sensitive subjects such as triple talaq and the Uniform Civil Code, as well as debates on crucial judgements will now be telecast on television. In a first, the Law Ministry is set to launch its own TV channel as part of efforts to spread legal awareness, The Times of India reported.

The ministry has sought a separate channel under the Centre’s Swayam Prabha project – a set of 32 direct-to-home channels launched by the Human Resource Development Ministry – to air programmes for students. It has sought operational rights to run its own channel, which will begin with airing shows for a few hours every day and later switch to a 24x7 format.

To produce programmes for the channel, the Law Ministry has launched an open competition for law students and freelance filmmakers with a cash prize of Rs 20,000-Rs 50,000. They will have to submit five- to 30-minute-long short films or documentaries on relevant subjects.

“The idea is to create a bank of enriched material on legal issues that can be best used by the common man,” a senior officer working on the project told The Times of India. The ministry may also consider bringing production houses and law universities on board to create content and ground studies for the channel.