ITV

Tag: Subramaniam Swamy

  • Swamy seeks transparency in IPL media rights through SC

    Swamy seeks transparency in IPL media rights through SC

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League, which saw a brief lull in controversy with Lalit Modi preferring to remain overseas, appears to be in for another storm, this time over broadcast rights.

    Bharatiya Janata Party member and Rajya Sabha MP Subramaniam Swamy has moved the Supreme Court seeking a transparent mechanism for auction of telecast rights of IPL cricket matches for the next five years. The auction is slated for 17 July 2017.

    Swamy told indiantelevision.com that his petition for e-auctioning of IPL media rights was expected to come up for hearing on Friday this week or Monday next week. He said that there is a requirement of non-discriminatory and transparent method, with the best international practices, to be adopted for distribution of the valuable media rights so as to ensure the maximum revenue in the larger national interest.

    The petition questioned the manner in which the rights worth Rs 250 billion to Rs 300 billion were being distributed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

    Seeking a stay of the present system, he said the huge investments make it mandatory to have the auction process robust, completely transparent in order to maximise the revenue and prevent vested interest from making undue gains.

    Swamy mentioned the matter before the bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar for early hearing of the matter as the BCCI next week.

    A lawyer himself, Swamy cited various orders of the apex court after finding irregularities committed by country’s apex cricket body. He said that as the BCCI was found having irregularities, illegalities, misappropriation and asymmetries in the functioning, the Supreme formed the Mudgal Committee as an investigator and then the Justice R M Lodha Committee was formed on 22 January 2015 by the Supreme Court.

    The Supreme Court on 30 January 2017 appointed a four-member committee of administrators headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai to run the affairs of the BCCI and implement court-approved recommendations of the Lodha panel on reforms.

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  • Update: No politics in raids at NDTV offices, CBI must have received some info, says Naidu

    MUMBAI / NEW DELHI: The information and broadcasting minister M Venkaiah Naidu has denied any political interference in the CBI raids on NDTV’s Prannoy Roy, and said the law would take its own course.

    The CBI registered a case against the pioneers of Indian television NDTV founder Roy and his wife Radhika Roy, for causing an alleged loss to a bank. Searches are reportedly being conducted at the residence of the Roys in New Delhi and three other places including Dehradun.

    NDTV, in a statement, said: the CBI stepped up the concerted harassment of NDTV and its promoters based on the same old endless false accusations. NDTV and its promoters will fight tirelessly against this witch-hunt by multiple agencies.

    Naidu, however, told reporters: “If somebody does something wrong but simply because they belong to media, you cannot expect the government to keep quiet.”

    Stressing that the media is free and independent, he said the officials were doing their duty “The CBI might have received some information. That is why they have taken action,” Naidu said.

    The case reportedly is about ICICI bank loan default ofRs 480 million. As per the Supreme Court order in the Global Trust Bank case in February 2016, the court said private banks heads should also be treated as public servants under the Prevention of Corruption Act. According to the FIR, the default by Roy is for a company named RRPR Holdings Private Limited.

    NDTV however said the company and its promoters will fight tirelessly against this witch-hunt by multiple agencies. We will not succumb to these attempts to blatantly undermine democracy and free speech in India. We have one message to those who are trying to destroy the institutions of India and everything it stands for: we will fight for our country and overcome these forces.

    On Twitter, NDTV managing editor Sreenivsan Jain said: “Message is clear: any independent voice in media will be bullied and shut down. Black day.” Executive editor Nidhi Razdan said: “A message to those in the media who are still independent and do their job by fearlessly asking questions. We won’t be intimidated.

    BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy last year sent a letter to PM Modi seeking a CBI and ED probes into charges of money laundering. Last December, the Securities and Exchange Board of India had started proceedings against NDTV and its promoters for not having made a public announcement in 2009 of a ‘change of control’ in the television company. SEBI had in June 2015 imposed a Rs. 2 crore fine on NDTV for “non-disclosure of material information to the stock exchanges.”

    Last week, NDTV announced that it will shut down its business channel NDTV Profit and turn into a full-time infotainment and entertainment channel.

  • Arnab blinks; switches to ‘Republic TV’

    Arnab blinks; switches to ‘Republic TV’

    MUMBAI: Dramatics personified well-known news anchor Arnab Goswami has declared the new name of his news channel to be ‘Republic TV’, switching from the original ‘Republic’.

    BJP Member of Parliament Subramaniam Swamy had questioned the use of the world ‘republic’ for commercial use, citing Indian law.

    In a letter dated 13 January 2017, Swamy wrote to the secretary, ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) : “It has come to my notice that a new TV channel under the name of “Republic” is in the process of being launched… It may be noticed that certain names and emblems are prohibited from being used under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 for professional and commercial purposes. As per the schedule accompanying the statute, under Item 6, there is an express prohibition from using the phrase, “Republic”. ”

    Now, in a letter dated 28 January to the under-secretary to the government of India (MIB), Republic TV’s MD and editor-in-chief, on behalf of ARG Outlier Media, Goswami stated that the documents needed were being submitted to facilitate the name change.

    Goswami may have eventually chosen to start the real news battle later, when he is fully prepared, rather than the ‘namesake’ fight.

    ALSO READ:

    BJP MP Swamy finds holes in Arnab Goswami’s ‘Republic’

    RBNL ex-CBO Khanchandani joins Arnab’s Republic

    Arnab’s Republic widens footprint on Facebook, Twitter

  • Arnab blinks; switches to ‘Republic TV’

    Arnab blinks; switches to ‘Republic TV’

    MUMBAI: Dramatics personified well-known news anchor Arnab Goswami has declared the new name of his news channel to be ‘Republic TV’, switching from the original ‘Republic’.

    BJP Member of Parliament Subramaniam Swamy had questioned the use of the world ‘republic’ for commercial use, citing Indian law.

    In a letter dated 13 January 2017, Swamy wrote to the secretary, ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) : “It has come to my notice that a new TV channel under the name of “Republic” is in the process of being launched… It may be noticed that certain names and emblems are prohibited from being used under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 for professional and commercial purposes. As per the schedule accompanying the statute, under Item 6, there is an express prohibition from using the phrase, “Republic”. ”

    Now, in a letter dated 28 January to the under-secretary to the government of India (MIB), Republic TV’s MD and editor-in-chief, on behalf of ARG Outlier Media, Goswami stated that the documents needed were being submitted to facilitate the name change.

    Goswami may have eventually chosen to start the real news battle later, when he is fully prepared, rather than the ‘namesake’ fight.

    ALSO READ:

    BJP MP Swamy finds holes in Arnab Goswami’s ‘Republic’

    RBNL ex-CBO Khanchandani joins Arnab’s Republic

    Arnab’s Republic widens footprint on Facebook, Twitter

  • BJP MP Swamy finds holes in Arnab Goswami’s ‘Republic’

    BJP MP Swamy finds holes in Arnab Goswami’s ‘Republic’

    MUMBAI: Arnab Goswami’s up and coming TV news channel, ‘Republic’, is back in the news and limelight. This time, though, criticism is from an unlikely quarter. BJP Member of Parliament Subramaniam Swamy now has questioned the use of the world ‘republic’ for commercial use, citing Indian laws.

    In a letter dated 13 January 2017, Swamy wrote to the secretary, ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) : “It has come to my notice that a new TV channel under the name of “Republic” is in the process of being launched… It may be noticed that certain names and emblems are prohibited from being used under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 for professional and commercial purposes. As per the schedule accompanying the statute, under Item 6, there is an express prohibition from using the phrase, “Republic”. ”

    Indiantelevision could not independently confirm the authenticity of Swamy’s letter and get a comment from ‘Republic’, scheduled for a reported formal launch tomorrow (26 January).

    Industry observers felt that, though Swamy’s letter may cause some flutter, but it’s highly unlikely that Goswami’s venture would be torpedoed at this moment and stage of completion.

    Swamy, generally regarded as the trouble shooter for the BJP and the nationalist-party led coalition government in New Delhi has caused a spot of bother for Goswami and his team of investors, which include another BJP MP and enterpreneur Rajeev Chandrashekhar.

    Swamy’s letter to MIB, posted on his official Twitter page, goes on to suggest that “grant of licence to a news channel to broadcast under the name of ‘Republic’ will be contrary to law and a direct breach of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950.”

    Industry observers felt that though Swamy’s letter may cause some flutter, but it’s highly unlikely that goswami’s venture would be torpedoed at this moment and stage of completion.

    Goswami’s venture had applied for uplinking and downlinking of a news channel in late November 2016 and he was appointed ARG Outlier MD on 19 November 2016, a day after he left Times Now.

    Chandrasekhar, reportedly, has invested over Rs 30 crore or Rs 300 million in ARG Outlier whereas Goswami’s SARG Media Holding is the main investor. According to latest information with the Registrar of Companies, which have been put out in public domain by various media organisations and not denied by Goswami or his investors, the largest SARG investor (Rs 7.5 crore) is Ranjan Ramdas Pai of Aarin Capital Partners. Mumbai’s Asian Heart Institute owner Ramakanta Panda has invested Rs 5 crore while investor Hemendra Kothari has put in Rs 2.5 crore. Other investors inlcude R Naresh and Shobhana Ramachandhran of TVS Tyres, Renaissance Jewellery and SRF Transnational owner Niranjan Shah, Sameer Manchanda, Sanjeev Manchanda (DEN Networks) and Tapesh Virendra Singhi.

    Swamy has appealed to the secretary: “Therefore, your office may look into the use of “Republic” and determine if it is prohibited to issue a license under such a name.” 

    It remains to be seen whether a slight tweak in the actual name, Republicworld, would save the first most significant feature of Goswami’s new venture — the name.

  • BJP MP Swamy finds holes in Arnab Goswami’s ‘Republic’

    BJP MP Swamy finds holes in Arnab Goswami’s ‘Republic’

    MUMBAI: Arnab Goswami’s up and coming TV news channel, ‘Republic’, is back in the news and limelight. This time, though, criticism is from an unlikely quarter. BJP Member of Parliament Subramaniam Swamy now has questioned the use of the world ‘republic’ for commercial use, citing Indian laws.

    In a letter dated 13 January 2017, Swamy wrote to the secretary, ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) : “It has come to my notice that a new TV channel under the name of “Republic” is in the process of being launched… It may be noticed that certain names and emblems are prohibited from being used under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 for professional and commercial purposes. As per the schedule accompanying the statute, under Item 6, there is an express prohibition from using the phrase, “Republic”. ”

    Indiantelevision could not independently confirm the authenticity of Swamy’s letter and get a comment from ‘Republic’, scheduled for a reported formal launch tomorrow (26 January).

    Industry observers felt that, though Swamy’s letter may cause some flutter, but it’s highly unlikely that Goswami’s venture would be torpedoed at this moment and stage of completion.

    Swamy, generally regarded as the trouble shooter for the BJP and the nationalist-party led coalition government in New Delhi has caused a spot of bother for Goswami and his team of investors, which include another BJP MP and enterpreneur Rajeev Chandrashekhar.

    Swamy’s letter to MIB, posted on his official Twitter page, goes on to suggest that “grant of licence to a news channel to broadcast under the name of ‘Republic’ will be contrary to law and a direct breach of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950.”

    Industry observers felt that though Swamy’s letter may cause some flutter, but it’s highly unlikely that goswami’s venture would be torpedoed at this moment and stage of completion.

    Goswami’s venture had applied for uplinking and downlinking of a news channel in late November 2016 and he was appointed ARG Outlier MD on 19 November 2016, a day after he left Times Now.

    Chandrasekhar, reportedly, has invested over Rs 30 crore or Rs 300 million in ARG Outlier whereas Goswami’s SARG Media Holding is the main investor. According to latest information with the Registrar of Companies, which have been put out in public domain by various media organisations and not denied by Goswami or his investors, the largest SARG investor (Rs 7.5 crore) is Ranjan Ramdas Pai of Aarin Capital Partners. Mumbai’s Asian Heart Institute owner Ramakanta Panda has invested Rs 5 crore while investor Hemendra Kothari has put in Rs 2.5 crore. Other investors inlcude R Naresh and Shobhana Ramachandhran of TVS Tyres, Renaissance Jewellery and SRF Transnational owner Niranjan Shah, Sameer Manchanda, Sanjeev Manchanda (DEN Networks) and Tapesh Virendra Singhi.

    Swamy has appealed to the secretary: “Therefore, your office may look into the use of “Republic” and determine if it is prohibited to issue a license under such a name.” 

    It remains to be seen whether a slight tweak in the actual name, Republicworld, would save the first most significant feature of Goswami’s new venture — the name.