Jio Cinema frisks Comedian John Oliver’s ‘Last week tonight’ episode over critical remarks of Modi
New Delhi: OTT platform JioCinema, owned by Viacom 18, has reportedly not aired the latest episode of 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,' titled "Indian Elections, Trump & Red Lobster." In this episode, British comedian John Oliver criticizes Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his administration on various issues, including the state of the press in India. JioCinema, a joint venture between Reliance Industries and Paramount Global, is HBO's official streaming partner.
This development comes just before the announcement of the Lok Sabha election results on Tuesday, June 4. Clips from the episode have already gone viral on social media.
The host anticipating censorship in India asked the Indian audiences to visit oppositesnakes.com and howtoeatmangoes.com in case the episode is taken down from YouTube. “I don’t know if this episode is definitely not going to end up airing in India, depending on what they do with the laws around YouTube. If you have friends and family living in India who would like to see it, just encourage them to visit these sites,” Oliver said in a clip from the show circulated on social media.
The episode was posted on YouTube on June 2 but is not yet available in India. It will be made public on June 6, as HBO has changed its policy to upload full episodes a few days after airing to boost subscriptions. Previously, episodes were uploaded the day after airing.
Despite Viacom 18's deal with Warner Bros. allowing 'Last Week Tonight' to be streamed on JioCinema in India, the latest episode has not been uploaded. The last episode available on the platform, titled "Corn," aired on May 19.
This is not the first time JioCinema has restricted streaming of the show. An episode from 2020 featuring Oliver's remarks on PM Modi, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Gujarat riots, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is also unavailable. Previously, Disney+ Hotstar, the former streaming partner, faced criticism from Oliver for not streaming this particular episode.
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Excise policy case: Arvind Kejriwal challenges arrest by CBI in Delhi HC
New Delhi (PTI): Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenged in Delhi High Court on Monday his arrest by the CBI in a corruption case related to the alleged excise policy scam.
The AAP national convenor also challenged a trial court's June 26 order by which he was remanded to three-day custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
On June 29, he was sent to judicial custody till July 12 by the trial court.
Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 from Tihar jail, where he was in judicial custody in a related money-laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate.
