NDTV’s Founders Prannoy Roy & Radhika Roy detained at Mumbai International Airport today

Mumbai: In a terrible incident, News television network NDTV’s founders Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy were on Friday detained at Mumbai International Airport and prevented from leaving the country.

As per a report, the NDTV’s founders were stopped on the basis of a “fake and totally unsubstantiated corruption case” filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation about an ICICI Bank loan that their company, RRPR Holdings, had taken.

Reacting to the matter, NDTV issued a statement condemning the incident.

“In a complete subversion of basic rights and in shameful continuance of the campaign to warn the media that nothing less than complete obeisance is acceptable, NDTV founders Radhika and Prannoy Roy were today prevented from leaving the country; they were scheduled to spend a week abroad and their return was booked for the 15th,” NDTV stated in the press statement.

The case has been challenged by the NDTV founders and their company in the Delhi High Court where the matter has been pending for two years. Radhika and Prannoy Roy have been fully cooperating with the case and they have been travelling abroad regularly and returning to the country so to suggest they are a flight risk is ludicrous. The authorities did not inform the court, where the matter is sub judice, or the Roys, about today's action. It is, along with events like raids on media owners, a warning to the media to fall in line - or else, NDTV stated in their statement further.

It may be mentioned that the Securities and Exchange Board of India had in June barred the Roys from the securities market, as well as from holding any managerial posts in the news network for two years. SEBI said it passed the order because the Roys had allegedly violated insider trading regulations.

Later, the markets regulator had initiated an investigation after an NDTV shareholder claimed that Prannoy Roy, Radhika Roy and RRPR Holdings had not disclosed information about loan agreements they entered into with a company known as Vishvapradhan Commercial. ICICI Bank was also part of this agreement.

Also Read: Securities Appellate Tribunal stays SEBI’s order barring NDTV promoters from key posts