NDTV founders Prannoy and Radhika Roy not allowed to leave India
Mumbai, Aug 9: News television network NDTV's founders Prannoy Roy and his wife Radhika, who are facing a corruption case, were detained at the city airport Friday evening and prevented from flying abroad.
In a statement, the leading media company said both were stopped from traveling abroad on the basis of "a fake and wholly unsubstantiated corruption case initiated by CBI" two years ago.
Both of them were traveling to an undisclosed destination and were scheduled to return on August 16, the company said.
"Today's action is, along with events like raids on media owners, a warning to the media to fall in line- or else," the company said, hinting of intimidation.
This is "a complete subversion of basic rights," the company said.
The statement also identified the two founders as "journalists" but did not specify the reasons for travel.
It was not immediately clear as to which law enforcement agency has detained them.
The Mumbai airport spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
The action comes months after Naresh Goyal, the promoter of the bankrupt carrier Jet Airways, was also stopped from flying abroad from the city airport after the ED registered a case of money laundering against him.
The development also comes over two years after the Roys were searched by the CBI in a alleged bank fraud.
The news network, which has been credited with pioneering television news in the country, had then called the action as a "witch hunt".
"We will not succumb to these attempts to blatantly undermine democracy and free speech," the news company had said in a statement then.
The Editors Guild had also expressed its concern in the matter.
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Congress’ downfall will start from Baramati if it doesn’t let Sunetra Pawar win unopposed: Bawankule
Nagpur (PTI): The Congress will have to face consequences if it doesn't allow NCP president and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar to win the Baramati assembly bypoll unopposed, said minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday.
The party’s “downfall” will start from Baramati, he said, stressing that the people of Baramati and Maharashtra wish that she is elected unopposed, said the BJP leader.
The April 23 bye election was necessitated after the tragic death of deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who headed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28. After his death, his wife Sunetra became the party president.
The NCP, BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena are partners in the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state.
“The Congress will face consequences if it doesn’t let Sunetra win unopposed from Baramati. Its downfall will start from Baramati if it doesn’t withdraw its candidate,” Bawankule told reporters in Nagpur.
Amid efforts to ensure an unopposed contest, the Congress has fielded advocate Akash More for the bypoll.
The party had said that it would withdraw from the contest only if an FIR were registered in Ajit Pawar’s death in the Baramati plane crash.
Replying to another question, Bawankule said the BJP’s performance will be more robust in Assam and Kerala elections compared to the last assembly polls in these states. Assembly polls are being held in a single phase in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry on Thursday.
“These elections will once again show Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership commanding support among the people,” he said.
