Even as it continues to be criticized for it's 'nationalistic' coverage of the JNU issue, Times Now has been issued a notice by the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) on Friday asking for an on-air apology for an interview in the Jasleen Kaur story.
The authority headed by Justice RV Raveendran, also directed the channel to pay Rs 50,000 as fine for chasing and interviewing the accused in an “aggressive, intimidating, and browbeating style, and the telecast of the interview with tag-lines treating the accused as guilty”.
Times Now has been asked to play an apology before the 9 PM news bulletin on March 22 with static text and audible voice-over acknowledging its failure to comply with the Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards of the NBSA.
The channel has been also asked to remove the video from its website.
The directive read, “Broadcasters cannot condemn as guilty persons accused of having committed a crime or offence when the matter is still under investigation or where the court is yet to decide upon the guilt or otherwise of the accused.”
NBSA further warned the channel to comply with the Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards of the NBSA.
In August, 2015 Delhi-based woman Jasleen Kaur alleged that she was verbally harassed by one Sarabjit Singh at a road-crossing in the Delhi. The issue came into prominence after Kaur, an AAP volunteer, put up a Facebook post about the incident. Sarabjit however contested her version of what happened and said that a simple altercation was being blown out of proportion for political mileage.