The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): The News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA), led by the esteemed former Supreme Court Justice AK Sikri, has taken decisive steps against certain television news broadcasts identified as catalysts for spreading animosity and sectarian unrest.
Activist Indrajeet Ghorpade’s complaints prompted the NBDSA to levy a fine of Rs 1,00,000 on Times Now Navbharat and Rs 50,000 on News 18 India. Aaj Tak received a cautionary note. The channels are also instructed to delete the contentious episodes from online platforms within a week.
Times Now Navbharat’s penalty came after its host, Himanshu Dixit, was accused of negatively portraying the Muslim community and dubiously labeling interfaith unions as examples of “love jihad.”
News 18 India faced fines for three segments, hosted by Aman Chopra and Amish Devgan, which purportedly misrepresented the Shradda Walker case by invoking “love jihad” rhetoric.
Aaj Tak was criticized for a segment by Sudhir Chaudhary, which implied that violence during Ram Navami was specifically aimed at a particular religious group.
The NBDSA highlighted these channels’ failure to adhere to ethical standards emphasizing fairness, objectivity, neutrality, and precision. It particularly noted the violation of norms designed to prevent hate speech, maintain program integrity with neutral anchors, and avoid imparting a communal bias to news reporting.
The authority recognized media’s freedom to engage in debates on any subject but stressed the importance of not generalizing or targeting a whole community based on the actions of a few. It condemned Times Now Navbharat’s broadcast for prematurely associating criminal acts with “love jihad,” noting the inappropriate generalization and failure to respect different viewpoints during the discussion.
The NBDSA emphasized the danger of making sweeping statements about interfaith marriages, affirming every individual’s right to marry their chosen partner regardless of religion. It criticized the use of inflammatory language and unfounded allegations of “love jihad,” urging careful consideration of such terms to avoid undermining national unity.