The NBDSA censured News18 India and anchor Rubika Liyaquat for unfairly attributing guilt to Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor scam case, which is still under investigation, and for biased conduct in a debate defending PM Modi. The channel was ordered to delete the violating parts of the March 28, 2024, broadcast within seven days for breaching neutrality and court reporting guidelines.
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NEW DELHI: The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) has taken action against News18 India and its anchor Rubika Liyaquat for unfairly blaming Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor scam case, which is still under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The NBDSA ordered the channel to remove the problematic parts of the program aired on March 28, 2024.
“The problem lay in the manner in which the anchor had attributed guilt in a matter that was sub-judice; this aspect of the broadcast was not only violative of the Specific Guidelines for Reporting Court Proceedings and the principle of neutrality under the Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards but also the judgment of the Bombay High Court in Nilesh Navlakha v. Union of India,”
-stated retired Justice AK Sikri, NBDSA chairperson.
The NBDSA also criticized Rubika Liyaquat for defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the same debate. This occurred when one of the panelists brought up the issue of corruption linked to the Electoral Bonds scheme.
“It was expected that the anchor while defending the Prime Minister would exercise restraint, maintain a professional tone and refrain from indulging in a back and forth debate with the panelist as such discussion distracts from meaningful debate,”
-the NBDSA remarked.
The complaint was filed by activist Indrajeet Ghorpade, who objected to how the debate program titled “Goonj with Rubika Liyaquat; Arvind Kejriwal arrested” was conducted. He raised concerns about the anchor’s failure to correct BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala when he directly attributed guilt to Arvind Kejriwal.
Ghorpade also pointed out that when a Samajwadi Party spokesperson accused PM Modi of corruption, Liyaquat interrupted him and argued that the Prime Minister should not be criticized.
News18 India defended its stance, explaining that the anchor’s reaction was prompted by “objectionable language” used against the Prime Minister. Regarding Poonawala’s claims, the channel said he supported his statements by referring to arguments allegedly made by Kejriwal’s lawyer in court about the money trail in the liquor scam.
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The channel argued that it followed a balanced approach by inviting representatives from various political parties to the debate. However, after reviewing the submissions and analyzing the program, the NBDSA found that it violated neutrality principles, court reporting guidelines, and the Bombay High Court’s ruling in Nilesh Navlakha v. Union of India.
As a result, the NBDSA ordered News18 to delete the offending parts of the program within seven days.
Ghorpade represented himself in the proceedings, while Senior Counsel Puneesh Kochar appeared for News18 India.
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