J&K court orders FIR against Zee News, News18 for defaming deceased islamic teacher as 'terrorist'
Poonch/Srinagar, June 29, 2025: A court in Jammu and Kashmir has directed the police to register an FIR against Zee News, News18, Republic TV, and other unnamed editorial personnel for falsely branding a deceased Islamic seminary teacher as a "Pakistani terrorist." The case pertains to the death of Qari Mohammad Iqbal during cross-border shelling in Poonch earlier this year, The Wire has reported.
The order was issued on Saturday (June 28) by Sub-Judge Shafeeq Ahmed in Poonch district, following a petition filed by local advocate Sheikh Mohd Saleem under Section 175(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. The petitioner sought legal action over the defamatory media reports related to Qari Mohammad Iqbal, a teacher at Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom, one of the largest Islamic seminaries in Poonch.
Qari Iqbal was among 12 civilians killed during heavy artillery shelling by Pakistan along the Line of Control on May 7, in the aftermath of India’s military action termed ‘Operation Sindoor’. Iqbal had reportedly gone out to purchase groceries for students when he was killed.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, several national television channels, including Republic World, News18, and Zee News, aired reports labeling Iqbal as a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander and a “Pakistani terrorist.” Republic claimed he was involved in major attacks, including Pulwama, while News18 and Zee News echoed similar allegations.
These claims were widely protested by the local residents of Poonch, who described Iqbal as a respected religious teacher with no links to militancy. The Jammu and Kashmir police subsequently issued an advisory warning media houses of potential legal consequences for misreporting and spreading misinformation, particularly during a period of heightened tensions.
The court, in its order, observed: “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.”
Citing Sections 353(2) (public mischief), 356 (defamation), and 196(1) (promoting enmity between religious groups) of the BNS, along with Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, the court emphasized the seriousness of the false reporting. It directed the Poonch Station House Officer (SHO) to file a compliance report within seven days and conduct a “fair, impartial and time-bound investigation.”
The court underlined that the freedom of the press under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution is not absolute and must be exercised responsibly within the constraints of Article 19(2), which allows reasonable restrictions on grounds such as public order, defamation, and decency.
“Branding a deceased civilian teacher as a ‘Pakistani terrorist’ without verification, especially during Indo-Pak hostilities, cannot be dismissed as a mere journalistic lapse,” the court observed.
The misleading reportage, according to the court, had caused significant emotional harm to the bereaved family, damaged the reputation of the seminary, and hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community in the region.
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Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai wins Nobel Prize in literature
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Stockholm (AP): Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai, whose philosophical, bleakly funny novels often unfold in single sentences, won the Nobel Prize in literature Thursday for his “compelling and visionary oeuvre.”
Krasznahorkai follows in the footsteps of literary greats including Ernest Hemingway, Albert Camus and Toni Morrison in winning the prestigious award.
The literature prize has been awarded by the Nobel committee of the Swedish Academy 117 times to a total of 121 winners. Last year's prize was won by South Korean author Han Kang for her body of work that the committee said “confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”
The literature prize is the fourth to be announced this week, following the 2025 Nobels in medicine, physics and chemistry.
The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday. US President Donald Trump is considered a long shot despite recently telling United Nations delegates “everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize.”
The final Nobel, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, is to be announced on Monday.
Nobel Prize award ceremonies are held on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death in 1896. Nobel was a wealthy Swedish industrialist and the inventor of dynamite who founded the prizes.
Each prize carries an award of 11 million Swedish kronor (nearly USD 1.2 million), and the winners also receive an 18-carat gold medal and a diploma.
