ED slaps Rs 3.44 cr penalty on BBC WS India; fines 3 directors
New Delhi, Feb 21 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has levied a penalty of more than Rs 3.44 crore on BBC World Service India for alleged contravention of foreign direct investment (FDI) regulations, agency officials said on Friday.
The federal probe agency also fined three of its directors with more than Rs 1.14 crore each as it issued an order against the British broadcaster following adjudication under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
There was no immediate response from the BBC on a query sent by PTI in this regard.
The adjudication proceedings were initiated after a show-cause notice was issued on August 4, 2023, to BBC WS India, its three directors, and the finance head for various "contraventions" under the said law.
The ED launched a FEMA probe against the BBC a few months after the income-tax department conducted a survey operation at the news organisation's office in February 2023.
BBC WS India, which is a 100 per cent FDI company, was engaged in uploading/streaming news and current affairs through digital media but "did not" reduce their FDI to 26 per cent, and kept it at 100 per cent in "gross violation" of the regulations issued by the government of India, sources said.
The press note 4 issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on September 18, 2019, stipulates a 26 per cent FDI cap for digital media under the government approval route, they said.
The total penalty levied on BBC WS India stands at Rs 3,44,48,850, along with a fine of Rs 5,000 for every day after 15.10.2021 till the date of compliance for violation of the provisions of FEMA, 1999, the sources said. Three BBC directors -- Giles Antony Hunt, Indu Shekhar Sinha and Paul Michael Gibbons -- have each been fined Rs 1,14,82,950 for their roles in "overseeing" company operations during the period of contravention, they said.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the administrative body for the I-T department, had said in a statement after the 2023 survey that the income and profits shown by various BBC group entities were "not commensurate" with the scale of their operations in India, and that tax has not been paid on certain remittances by its foreign entities.
The BBC, after the I-T action, had said they will "continue to cooperate with the authorities and hope matters are resolved as soon as possible".
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TN Assembly elections: Eight-month pregnant homemaker wins Thiru Vi Ka Nagar seat for TVK
Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.
Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.
Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.
According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.
She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.
A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.
Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.
Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
