In a significant order that underscores the limits of press freedom in cases of unverified and inflammatory reportage, a Poonch court on Saturday, June 28, directed the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against national news broadcasters Zee News, News18 India, and other unnamed editorial personnel for falsely branding a deceased Islamic seminary teacher as a “Pakistani terrorist” during their coverage of Operation Sindoor—India’s recent military action against terror bases across the border in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.
The directive was passed by Shafeeq Ahmed, Sub-Judge and Special Mobile Magistrate, Poonch, in response to an application filed by local advocate Sheikh Mohammad Saleem. As per the report in Bar&Bench, the complainant alleged that the media outlets, in a series of live broadcasts aired in May, wrongly identified Qari Mohammad Iqbal, a religious teacher at Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom, one of the most prominent Islamic seminaries in Poonch, as a “notorious Lashkar-e-Tayyeba commander” allegedly involved in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack.
Iqbal, who was killed on May 7 while out purchasing food supplies for his students, was among civilians who died during intense Pakistani shelling along the Line of Control. Despite his clear identity as a local religious figure and civilian casualty, the news channels broadcast his name, photograph, and a fabricated terrorist profile, falsely claiming that he was eliminated by Indian forces in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The court strongly rebuked the claim made by the Poonch police during the hearing that territorial jurisdiction did not lie with the local court since the broadcast originated from New Delhi. Citing Section 199 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, the Court held that when defamatory consequences occur at a location different from where the act originated, jurisdiction vests in both places. The Court emphasised that the reputational and emotional damage caused by the broadcast was suffered in Poonch, where the deceased lived, worked, and ultimately lost his life.
A case of journalistic irresponsibility and public harm
In scathing observations on the role of the media, the Court declared that the conduct of the news outlets amounted not only to defamation but also to a deliberate and dangerous act of public mischief and incitement. It held that the telecast violated multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including:
- Section 353(2) – Public mischief
- Section 356 – Defamation
- Section 196(1) – Promoting enmity between religious groups
In addition, the Court invoked Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 for the dishonest and misleading use of digital media.
While some channels issued public apologies after widespread outrage—including local protests and a J&K police advisory warning of legal action—the Court observed that “An apology may have mitigating value at the stage of sentencing but does not preclude the statutory duty of police to register an FIR once a cognizable offence is disclosed,” as per the report of The Wire. It further stressed that the press, while enjoying freedom under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, is bound by reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2), particularly in matters concerning defamation, public order, decency, and communal harmony.
“In the present act, the act of branding a deceased civilian teacher of a local religious seminary as a ‘Pakistani terrorist’ without any verification, particularly during a period of Indo-Pak hostilities cannot be dismissed as a mere journalistic lapse,” the court said, according to The Wire report.
Media conduct under scrutiny
The court emphasised that press freedom is not a license to defame, mislead, or cause harm. Media organisations, especially those with national reach, are constitutionally and ethically bound to ensure accuracy, fairness, and verification in their reporting—particularly in conflict zones like Jammu and Kashmir. The order noted that the coverage caused immense distress to the bereaved family, tarnished the reputation of the seminary, and inflamed religious sentiments within the local Muslim community.
The Station House Officer (SHO), Poonch Police Station, has been directed to register an FIR against the accused news networks and their editorial staff within seven days, and to submit a compliance and progress report to the court. The SHO has also been instructed to conduct a fair, impartial, and time-bound investigation, with a copy of the order being forwarded to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Poonch for supervisory monitoring.
Public outrage and CJP complaint
The misleading reportage drew widespread condemnation from the local community in Poonch, many of whom personally knew Qari Iqbal and described him as a humble and well-regarded religious educator. Protests erupted after the false broadcast, prompting a rare advisory from the J&K police warning news channels against “unverified and inflammatory” reporting that disrespects the dead and incites communal tension.
In a related development, Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) had also filed a detailed complaint with the broadcasting channels, on May 14, 2025, for broadcasting false and defamatory content during its coverage of Operation Sindoor. The complaint focused on News18’s segment aired on May 7, which falsely claimed that Maulana Qari Mohammad Iqbal, a religious scholar from Poonch, was a “top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander” killed in an Indian airstrike.
The broadcast, titled “India’s air strike Pakistan: Operation Sindoor में मारा गया आतंकी Mohammad Iqbal | India-Pak War”, referred to Iqbal—who had no criminal record or militant ties—as a “most-wanted terrorist” allegedly neutralised during military operations. CJP called the segment a gross act of defamation and dangerous communal profiling, especially given that the deceased was in fact a civilian teacher who had died in cross-border shelling.
In its complaint, CJP submitted verifiable evidence contradicting the false narrative, including public clarifications by the Poonch police, testimony from Iqbal’s family, and fact-checks from independent media outlets. The organisation pointed out that Iqbal was a teacher at Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom, a respected religious seminary in Jammu & Kashmir, and had no links to terrorism. His image, originally shared in a condolence message by the seminary’s administration, was misused by the channel in its coverage.
CJP cited the May 10, 2025 Alt News fact-check titled “His name was Qari Mohammad Iqbal. He was not a terrorist”, which established that the claims made by News18 were factually incorrect and defamatory. The fact-check also traced the image to social media tributes shared by family members, including Iqbal’s brother Qari Mohammad Farookh and brother-in-law Ishaq Khayan, who condemned the false reporting as a traumatic assault on the dignity of the deceased and his grieving family.
Calling the coverage an egregious example of Islamophobic misreporting, CJP demanded a formal on-air correction, public apology, and removal of the defamatory content from all digital platforms. The group noted that such broadcasts, made during a period of heightened Indo-Pak tensions, were not only unethical but posed serious risks to communal harmony, public order, and social trust.
CJP has also filed related complaints against five other national broadcasters—Aaj Tak, ABP News, Times Now Navbharat, NDTV, and India TV—for airing outdated foreign footage, falsely depicting it as real-time coverage of Indian military action under Operation Sindoor, thereby spreading misinformation and manufacturing a war narrative. Detailed report of the same may be read here.
Related:
Broadcasting Bias: CJP’s fight against hatred in Indian news
Holding power to account: CJP’s efforts to combat hate and polarisation