Statement On CBI Raids Today: NDTV
This morning, 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. 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.
We will not succumb to attempts to blatantly undermine democracy and free speech in India: #NDTV on #CBIsearches.
Social Media outrage :
Cowed Indian media! Prannoy Roy being raided and intimidated by govt and not one other media house is carrying story. Their turn will come!!
— Ajai Shukla (@ajaishukla) June 5, 2017
Message is clear if you want to survive in journalism or media you should do Modi Bhajan #NDTV
— Lalu Prasad Yadav (@ModiLeDubega) June 5, 2017
Contrast raid on NDTV with the inaction in the pending CBI investigations against Adanis for alleged money laundering of thousands of crores
— Ashish Khetan (@AashishKhetan) June 5, 2017
First they came for NDTV… if other media doesn’t speak out now, there will be no one left to speak for them when it is their turn. https://t.co/R5jmNSuNTv
— SamSays (@samjawed65) June 5, 2017
It is a shame that other news TV channels are not standby NDTV/Prannoy Roy. Tomorrow they will be targeted.
— ashutosh (@ashutosh83B) June 5, 2017
Pranoy Roy raided. Revenge 4 Sambit’s inglorious exit from @NDTV. There is no law. No Constitution. Modi is law. Modi is Constitution
— RKHURIA (@rkhuria) June 5, 2017
REVISED STATEMENT OF NDTV
It is shocking that the CBI conducted searches on the NDTV offices and residence of the promoters without even conducting a preliminary enquiry. This is a blatant political attack on the freedom of the press as sources confirm that under pressure, the CBI has been compelled to file an FIR based on a shoddy complaint by a disgruntled former consultant at NDTV called Sanjay Dutt, who has been making false allegations and filing cases in courts of law with these false allegations. So far, he has not obtained a single order from any of these courts.
Legal analysts are astounded that where courts have rejected giving any order in all these years, the CBI conducts raids based on what is a private complaint.
The allegation appears to be for a loan which has been repaid by Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy more than seven years ago. (Scroll down for evidence of this.)
Even though lakhs and crores of rupees of dues have not been paid by several industrialists and no criminal case has yet been registered against any of them by the CBI, the CBI has chosen not only to register an FIR, but also conduct a search for a loan which has been duly repaid to ICICI Bank. Moreover, ICICI is a private bank.
The allegation that no disclosure was made to SEBI and other regulatory authorities is not only incorrect and false but also does not cloth the CBI with any power to register cases and search which further amplifies the fact that the search by the CBI is only a witch-hunt against independent media.
NDTV and its promoters have never defaulted on any loan to ICICI or any other bank. We adhere to the highest levels of integrity and independence. It is clearly the independence and fearlessness of NDTV's team that the ruling party's politicians cannot stomach and the CBI raid is merely another attempt at silencing the media.
No matter how much the politicians attack us – We will not give up the fight for freedom and the independence of media in India.