From 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2025, the News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) issued 54 orders concerning private TV and digital news broadcasters. Of these, 32 orders, representing nearly 60%, addressed violations of the ethics code on communal harmony. The NBDSA, established by the News Broadcasters & Digital Association, primarily enforced content removal, with financial penalties imposed in only a minority of cases.
According to The Indian Express, the NBDSA’s orders frequently cited the use of religious stereotypes, such as the term “jihad” in various contexts, including land encroachment, women’s safety, and demographic change. The regulator’s main enforcement tool was the directive to partially or completely remove offending content, while fines were rarely used and procedural delays were common, averaging 11-12 months from complaint to final order.
Coverage revealed that out of 54 total orders, 43 found violations of the Code of Ethics or broadcasting guidelines, with 32 of 39 communal harmony-related complaints resulting in penalties. In 37 cases, the NBDSA ordered content removal, while financial penalties were imposed in only six instances, totalling Rs 3.2 lakh, and no fines were issued in 2025.
In several cases, the NBDSA addressed narratives such as “population explosion” or “demographic change” linked to minorities, and the use of terms like “land jihad” and “love jihad.” The authority also examined content related to food, international events, and political bias, as well as the use of demeaning language regarding caste and tribal identity. The highest penalty, Rs 1 lakh, was levied on Times Now Navbharat for a show generalising interfaith marriages as “love jihad” based on unverified claims as reporting indicated.
Times Now Navbharat received 16 orders for content removal, including one fine, followed by News18 India with eight removal orders and four fines, and Zee News with five removal orders. The NBDSA’s orders emphasised the need for objective reporting on population growth and condemned the selective use of data to blame specific communities without evidence. The authority found it inappropriate to link such cases to “love jihad” or to target entire communities as analysis showed.
“We ask all members for their comments, and only when they all say yes do we issue the order,” said Justice A K Sikri, NBDSA chairperson, describing the consensus-driven adjudication process.
The NBDSA is chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Justice A K Sikri and includes four independent members and four editor members from TV news channels. The authority meets at least once every two months, and all decisions are made by consensus. Editor members do not participate in hearings involving their own channels as details emerged.
The NBDSA’s guidelines require caution in reporting content that could denigrate or offend religious groups or create disharmony. The penalty regime allows for fines up to Rs 25 lakh, but the authority has primarily relied on content removal. All orders in the past three years originated from individual complaints, with no suo motu action taken as coverage revealed.
“We have always been in compliance with the orders issued by NBDSA,” a News18 Network spokesperson stated regarding adherence to the authority’s directives.
Procedural delays were attributed to the need for consensus among nine members and the requirement to review entire programmes to verify claims and assess context. The NBDSA’s two-tier grievance mechanism requires complaints to be filed with the broadcaster first, and if unresolved, escalated to the authority. The authority’s approach has been to ensure fair process and collective decision-making as further analysis showed.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.