Three popular television channels in India have been fined for spreading religious hatred by the country's broadcasting regulation authority.
The authorities have also directed the three TV stations namely News 18, Aaj Tak and Times Now Navbharat to remove all of their religious hatred related contents.
The regulator termed the matter as a clear violation of ethics, broadcasting norms and guidelines on ethnic and religious harmony.
News 18 India has been fined Rs 50,000, Times Now Navbharat Rs 1 lakh and Aaj Tak Rs 75,000.
In a special program of News 18 India on Shraddha Walkar's murder in Delhi in 2022, host Amish Devgan compared Shraddha's murder by boyfriend Aftab Punewala to 'Love Jihad'.
India's broadcasting regulator, the News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority, recently took notice of the Amish Devgan show. Not only News 18 India, the agency also monitored two other popular news channels Times Now Navbharat and Aaj Tak.
The channels have been accused of one-sided blaming of particular communities. Authorities have fined TV stations for spreading hate and religious hatred.
The Broadcasting Regulatory Authority complained of clear violations of the show's ethics, broadcasting standards and guidelines on racial and religious harmony.
They fear that religious intolerance and discrimination can be created through messages of hatred and communal hatred.
Apart from taking precautions regarding such broadcasts in the future, the authorities have also ordered to immediately remove the hatred related videos from online.
In a meeting on February 28, the concerned parties discussed the alleged programs aired in the last two years on three channels.
Accepting the council's decision, the TV stations said that they will broadcast news with more caution in the future.
