The News Broadcasting Standards Authority on Thursday (10 December) criticised Zee News, Zee 24 Taas, Zee Hindustani, Times Now, India Today, Aaj Tak, India TV, News Nation, and ABP News for publishing "slanderous reports linking Hindi film actor Rakul Preet Singh to drugs”, as per a report by Live Law.
The regulator directed the channels to remove the videos in question if they are still on their websites or YouTube or social media pages, and report back within seven days.
The NBSA also told the Zee group channels to air an apology before 9 pm on 17 December for running hashtags and taglines that the NBSA found to be “offensive, derogatory and violative of the code of ethics”.
As for the rest of the news channels, the NBSA warned them from using hashtags, and images against Rakul Preet Singh, and cautioned them to exercise care and not broadcast "unverified and incorrect information".
The NSBA pointed out that most of the aforementioned channels didn’t report that late Sushant Singh Rajput's partner and actor Rhea Chakraborty had denied making a statement to the Narcotics Control Bureau that Rakul Preet Singh was allegedly involved in using or peddling drugs. “The retraction statement should also have been telecast in the same broadcast so that the viewers could understand the entire context of the evolving story and the versions of the parties,” the NBSA said.
Rakul had moved the Delhi High Court in September seeking action against these TV channels for wrongfully linking her to the Sushant Singh Rajput case.
(With inputs from Live Law)