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Prasar Bharti rejects Ministry of Information and Broadcasting recommendations

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Prasar Bharti rejects ministry of information and broadcasting recommendations

Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has rejected the Union ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) proposal to appoint a serving IAS officer to its board, and hire two journalists to head the news service units of Doordarshan and All India Radio, said media reports.

A board meeting headed by Prasar Bharti chairperson A Surya Prakash concluded that accepting the resolutions moved by the ministry would “amount to infringing Prasar Bharati’s autonomy”.

The board held that appointing a serving IAS officer as member (personnel) would go against the norms laid down in The Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990. “The Act clearly says the appointments to the board will be made on the recommendation of a committee headed by the vice president. The chairperson pointed out that if the appointments are made based on the recommendations of the ministry, it would amount to denigrating the office of the vice president and also erode the autonomy of Prasar Bharati,” reported The Hindustan Times quoting an unnamed official.

Prasar Bharati’s board comprises a chairman, an executive member (CEO), two members (finance and personnel), six part-time members, a representative of the I&B ministry, and the director generals of All India Radio and Doordarshan as ex-officio members. There is no provision to have a serving bureaucrat on the board.

After the last member (personnel) demitted the office, the charge was given to member (finance) and the position was advertised, but no candidates were found suitable for the post, another PB official told HT.

The Prasar Bharati board also turned down the ministry’s proposal to hire two senior journalists on top editorial posts at Prasar Bharati: Siddharth Zarabi for the position of head of TV news in Doordarshan News and Abhijit Majumder as chief editor at the Prasar Bharati News Service.

Zarabi is the executive editor of Business TV India and Majumder – a vocal supporter of the current government who was recently called out for sharing fake news about the Kasganj violence – is the managing editor of Mail Today newspaper.

The board refused to clear their appointment because of the “unjustifiable compensation” suggested by the I&B ministry, said media reports.

 

The ministry had fixed an annual compensation of Rs 1 crore (Rs 8.3 lakh per month) for Zarabi and Rs 75 lakh (Rs 6.25 lakh per month) for Majumder.

While the board wants to hire top-class media professionals for the job, the hefty compensation offered to the two journalists couldn’t be justified, said media reports quoting Prasar Bharti board members. “The highest compensation paid to contractuals in Prasar Bharati is about Rs 160,000 a month. To jump from that to Rs 10 million a year cannot be justified. The search committee would like good media professionals to be hired, but the issue is cost. We are a public corporation. Can we hire professionals at Rs 10 million?” said a Business Today report quoting a source.

The Prasar Bharti board also took exception to the language in the ministry’s communication on terminating the services of all contractual employees. “It sought to question the wisdom of the Prasar Bharati board on these appointments,” an official said, according to the Business Standard. He further said the board was of the opinion that the ministry should withdraw the directives because they were in contempt of the Act governing the body. The ministry “seems to have forgotten that Prasar Bharati is an autonomous corporation”, said the BS report.

A manpower audit of the PB, as suggested by various committees, including the Sam Pitroda committee, would be conducted soon to identify overstaffed sections, reported HT.

India News

India hits back at Shehbaz Sharif at UN, says terror will have consequences

India hit back at Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s UN speech, with New Delhi warning that terrorism will have consequences.

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India has responded to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks at the United Nations, delivering a strong message on terrorism and warning that such actions will have consequences.

The response came after Mr Sharif addressed the UN and raised issues concerning India and Pakistan. New Delhi rejected the narrative presented by the Pakistani prime minister and highlighted the issue of terrorism.

India’s message was delivered by Petal Gehlot, who represented New Delhi in the response to Pakistan.

India warns Pakistan over terrorism

India’s response focused on Pakistan’s record and its approach towards terrorism. New Delhi made clear that terrorism cannot be separated from its consequences and that those responsible cannot expect such actions to go unanswered.

The Indian side also pushed back against the claims and allegations made by Mr Sharif during his UN speech.

The exchange comes amid continuing tensions between India and Pakistan, with terrorism remaining a major point of disagreement between the two countries.

Shehbaz Sharif’s UN remarks

In his address, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke about India-Pakistan relations and raised several issues concerning New Delhi.

India subsequently exercised its right of reply to respond to Pakistan’s statements at the United Nations.

New Delhi’s response underlined its position that terrorism remains a serious issue in the relationship and that there would be consequences for terrorist actions.

The latest exchange at the UN adds to the continuing diplomatic confrontation between the two neighbouring countries.

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Veeramani POCSO case: Vijay questions Stalin over earlier probe

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has questioned MK Stalin over the handling of the Veeramani POCSO case, while Stalin has rejected allegations that the previous DMK government protected anyone.

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Actor Vijay

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C Joseph Vijay has questioned DMK president MK Stalin over the handling of the POCSO case involving Gem Granites founder R Veeramani. The political exchange follows renewed investigation into allegations involving minor girls.

Vijay’s remarks came as the ruling TVK stepped up its questions about how the case was handled during the previous DMK government. The party’s IT wing has alleged that the earlier investigation was weakened and questioned why a final report was filed.

The allegations have been rejected by the DMK. Stalin has said that no order was issued by the DMK government to protect anyone in the case and has called the allegations false and defamatory.

What did Vijay say about the Veeramani case?

Vijay questioned Stalin over the handling of the case and demanded an explanation from the former chief minister.

The TVK has specifically questioned why action was not taken against Veeramani during the previous administration and why the earlier investigation resulted in a closure report.

The party has also raised questions about the role of officials involved in the earlier investigation. These are political allegations made by the TVK and have not been established as facts.

What is the Veeramani POCSO case?

The case concerns allegations of sexual abuse of minors involving R Veeramani, the founder of Gem Granites.

The case came under renewed scrutiny after a special POCSO court rejected an earlier closure report and ordered further investigation. The expanded probe has subsequently identified additional alleged survivors who were minors at the time of the alleged offences, according to current reporting.

The investigation is also examining the circumstances surrounding the earlier probe and whether there were any lapses in how the case was handled.

What has MK Stalin said?

Stalin has rejected allegations that the previous DMK government protected Veeramani.

He has said that no order was issued by the DMK government to shield anyone in the case. Stalin has also said that everyone responsible for the alleged offences, including anyone who aided or attempted to protect the accused, should face the law.

The DMK president has further said that the focus should remain on securing justice for the affected girls rather than making political allegations.

Why has the case become a political issue?

The Veeramani case has become the subject of a political dispute between the ruling TVK and the DMK over the handling of the earlier investigation.

The TVK is questioning the previous government’s handling of the case, while the DMK has denied that it intervened to protect the accused.

At this stage, claims about political interference or deliberate weakening of the earlier investigation should be treated as allegations unless established by the ongoing investigation or judicial proceedings.

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India News

Women wrestlers challenge Brij Bhushan’s acquittal in sexual harassment case

Four women wrestlers have challenged the acquittal of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and co-accused Vinod Tomar in a sexual harassment case.

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Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh

Four women wrestlers have approached a Delhi court challenging the acquittal of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a sexual harassment case.

The wrestlers have also challenged the acquittal of co-accused Vinod Tomar. The matter is scheduled to be heard by a Special Judge at the Rouse Avenue Courts.

The appeal challenges the order passed by an Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate on August 3, 2026, when Brij Bhushan and Tomar were acquitted in the case.

Wrestlers challenge court’s reasoning

In their appeal, the wrestlers have argued that the acquittal order is legally unsustainable and that the evidence was not assessed appropriately.

They have also alleged that the order relied on assumptions about how victims of sexual assault and harassment were expected to behave instead of assessing the evidence and circumstances of the complainants.

The challenge seeks judicial scrutiny of the findings that resulted in the acquittal of Brij Bhushan and Tomar.

Brij Bhushan was acquitted in August

The Rouse Avenue court acquitted Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on August 3 in the sexual harassment case involving women wrestlers. The court’s decision followed consideration of the evidence and statements presented during the proceedings.

The case had emerged after several women wrestlers accused the former WFI chief of sexual harassment. The allegations had led to a major protest by wrestlers in 2023.

The latest appeal means the acquittal is now being challenged before a higher court.

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