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Tag: Naveen Jindal

  • Delhi HC rejects Naveen Jindal’s plea to restrain Zee News from airing coverage about him

    Delhi HC rejects Naveen Jindal’s plea to restrain Zee News from airing coverage about him

    NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today refused to grant MP and industrialist Naveen Jindal’s plea for a blanket order restraining Zee Media channels from airing news reports which he alleged were defamatory in the content.

     

     The Court however directed Zee News to obtain and air the views of Jindal and/or his companies while televising any programme pertaining to them.

     

    The Court said that Jindal and his company Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) had not been able to satisfy that they had got a prima facie good case and disposed of their plea.

     

    The Court acknowledged and upheld the right of news channels observing that Zee Media news channels are free to air news reports pertaining to the Congress MP or his companies during the 16th Lok Sabha Election in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA).

     

     Jindal had filed a case against Zee Media Corporation alleging defamation and seeking injunction against Zee News from publishing / airing or telecasting on its channels or website any news report which may be vindictive or defamatory to his reputation or that may be relating to his election campaign. The Court, after hearing the parties, declined the injunction as sought by Jindal.

     

     The Court held that when Jindal, holder of a public office and aspiring to become a member of an elected body is amidst the din of electioneering, all kinds of accusations and counter accusations are bound to flash thick and fast in all directions of which a person must not complain unless and until the allegations against him are per se defamatory.

     

     The Court has come to the conclusion that Jindal is not entitled for any injunction and the televised reporting by Zee News are not defamatory. After going through each and every allegations and comments made by Zee News channel in its news reports pertaining to Jindal, the Court held that the same cannot be said to be defamatory.

     

     The Court has further held that to restrain the defendant – Zee News – from pre-telecasting the programme or the news article or the reporting at this stage would not only be a gagging right to freedom of press but also gagging of the public to know about a candidate who is sought to be elected by the electorate.

  • Zee Media refutes Jindal allegations

    Zee Media refutes Jindal allegations

    MUMBAI: Last week, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had on a complaint filed by Congress member of parliament Naveen Jindal, asked the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) to take action against Zee Media Corporation.

     

    Jindal alleged that Zee News and Zee Business had been airing defamatory, false and misleading news items about him and his company Jindal Steel and Power. Now, the broadcaster has sent petitions to both, the ECI and the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) to restrain Jindal from defaming the channel through social media on a matter that is pending before the NBSA.

     

    The network claims that it is being targeted by Jindal through social media. Another petition was filed to highlight that a section of the media was publishing incorrect and irrelevant information on the matter against Zee Media.

     

    It is also in the process of filing its response to a notice that had been sent to it by the NBSA on request by the ECI for which it had been given a deadline of 14 days.

     

    The company spokesperson stated, “As a responsible media house, we will surely address the issue and will share all relevant information with the NBSA. We will also provide the association with all relevant evidence as and when required by it.” The channel says it had recently covered an incident of a heated conversation between Jindal and local people during his election campaign. 

     

    Zee Media and Naveen Jindal have been embroiled in a fight since 2012 when Jindal accused the channel of asking him for a bribe to not telecast a negative story about him. Recently, Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni also filed a case against Zee Media for airing defamatory remarks about his involvement in the IPL scam.

  • 14 more regional TV channels soon

    14 more regional TV channels soon

    KOLKATA: At a time when sections of both national and regional media are shutting shop or laying off staff as cost-cutting measures, former minister of state for parliamentary affairs in the PV Narsimharao government and senior Congress leader of Assam, Matang Singh, has plans to launch as many as 14 regional channels pan-India.

    Singh already owns television channels including NE TV, Focus TV, NE Bangla, NE Hi Fi, Hamar TV, HY TV and Radio Oo la la, and controls them through holding companies like Positiv Television and Positiv Radio.

    A highly-placed industry source said, “Singh plans to launch regional television channels in a big way soon.” The source hinted that Naveen Jindal, MP from Kurukshetra, Haryana, and chairman of Jindal Steel and Power, was likely to be part financier on this ambitious project.

    While Singh did not respond to repeated queries by this correspondent, a media manager revealed, “Though the existing channels have a huge reach in the north eastern region, they are not doing well.”

    Meanwhile, there have been reports that Jindal may also buy a majority stake in Assam’s NE TV, which is one of the north east’s leading channels run by Singh through his family and associates. Indiantelevision.com has also learnt that NE Bangla, the 24×7 Bengali news channel owned by Singh, has appointed Biswa Majumdar as editor-in-chief. Before taking on this assignment, Majumdar was at the helm of the channel’s Kolkata TV operations and affairs. Apparently, the search is on for a big studio for NE Bangla at EM Bypass. A company official on condition of anonymity revealed the venue to be near Science City.
    While a cross-section of the media may have been adversely impacted by the ongoing economic slowdown, media analysts predict that the next five to six months will see a spate of news channels mushrooming across the country, what with companies betting big on them thanks to the impending Lok Sabha elections.

  • Zee News issues Rs 1.5 bn defamation notice to Naveen Jindal

    Zee News issues Rs 1.5 bn defamation notice to Naveen Jindal

    NEW DELHI: Zee News has sent a Rs 1.5 billion defamation notice to industrialist Naveen Jindal, saying that he wrongly accused the news channel of blackmailing and extortion and attempted to deflect attention from his alleged role in the coal allocation scandal.

    In a statement on Saturday, it said: “Zee News has condemned and completely rejected the doctored evidence produced by Jindal. Zee News sees this as a deliberate attempt to malign the trustworthy (news) television network.”

    The news network further stated: “Zee News has granted a three-day time period to Naveen Jindal to withdraw all his unsubstantiated and defamatory allegations, failing which he would face civil and criminal actions initiated by Zee News.”

    It may be recalled that Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) has also filed a police case against Zee News.

    The Broadcast Editors’ Association (BEA) on Thursday suspended its treasurer and editor of Zee News Sudhir Chaudhary, who features in the Jindal video tapes, following a complaint by Jindal, who is also a Congress member of parliament.

    At a press conference on Thursday, Jindal showed a video recording of meetings with Zee TV executives and claimed this to be proof that they were trying to extort money from him. Jindal said the TV channel told his company’s executives that if they did not spend Rs one billion on advertising on the channel, it would run stories about how Jindal’s firm was allocated coal fields.

    Jindal said the “extortion attempt” was caught on a hidden camera and he released CDs of this footage to reporters. The ‘reverse sting’ was carried out between 13 and 19 September over four meetings in different locations in Delhi.

    But Zee News said that “it has always been the forerunner in exposing Naveen Jindal’s double standard as a politician and an industrialist in Coalgate scam. Zee News clearly understands that it is to suppress the coverage that Zee News was telecasting on Coalgate, that the corporate communications team from Jindal Steel and Power Limited first tried to bribe Samir Ahluwalia with Rs 250 million, which he declined straightway, and later was offered a Rs one billion advertising deal to stop the coverage of Coalgate scam.”

    It has also alleged that attempts by “right thinking media houses including Zee News to bring out the truth in the Rs1,860 billion Coalgate scam are being muzzled by Mr. Naveen Jindal by distorting the truth and defaming those on the righteous path.” It also cited the Comptroller and Auditor General report that has named JSPL as one of the beneficiaries of the allocation that was done bypassing auctions.

    “Zee News has always been in pursuit of seeking the truth in the Coalgate scam, and has had several interactions with Jindal and his officials. We accuse Jindal and JSPL of maligning the name of Zee News since they chose to display an edited/doctored CD where only selected portions were shown. Jindal has a history of unfairly targeting those who dare to confront him with the truth,” the statement said.

    The statement added: “We are of the view that similar false allegations have been made by Naveen Jindal and his officials against Zee News in a police complaint and we see it as subversion of the due process of law. Clearly, we see this as an attempt to prejudice and defame us and to overreach the investigation in this regard and have hence sent a defamation notice to JSPL and Naveen Jindal.”

    The statement goes on to assert that Zee News is undeterred by such diversionary tactics adopted by Jindal and JSPL and would stay focused on unraveling the ultimate truth in the Coalgate scam and have only taken this route to counter the allegations made.