New Delhi: News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) on Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs. 50,000 on News18 over its coverage and communalizing of the Hijab row in Karnataka. The channel is owned by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries.
NBDSA has also said that the news anchor of the channel, Aman Chopra violated the Code of Conduct by linking panelists supporting the Hijab to Al-Qaeda.
Justice AK Sikri in his decision passed on Friday said that while the broadcaster was entitled to conduct debate on the issue after the Karnataka High Court’s decision, the problem lay with the narrative and tilt given to the program.
“NBDSA observed that while having a debate as to whether the wearing of a Hijab be allowed in the schools or not, there was no occasion to blow up the debate by making it a communal issue”, the order said.
The order was passed on a complaint by Tech Ethics and Safety professional Indrajeet Ghorpade filed in response to a program aired on News18 on April 6 in which the anchor, Aman Chopra, referred to the Muslim girl students as “Hijabi Gang”, “Hijabwali Gazwa Gang” and made allegations that they had resorted to rioting.
The Authority also recorded that Chopra had not only violated the guidelines and ethical standards but also failed to follow the decision of the Bombay High Court in the case of Nilesh Navalakha v Union Of India which calls for an anchor to apply his/ her mind and prevent the program from drifting beyond permissible limits.
“However, in the instant case, not only had the anchor failed to stop the other panelists from crossing the boundary but had given a platform to express extreme views which could adversely affect the communal harmony in the country,” said the order.
The NBDSA also directed News18 to take down the video of the offending program from its website and all platforms within 7 days. It told News18, if such violations are repeated in the future, the NBDSA might have to ensure the personal presence of anchor Aman Chopra before it.
