News Broadcasting
Fake sting operation victim withdraws defamation case against Live India
MUMBAI : Uma Khurana, victim of a fake sting operation, has withdrwan her defamation complaint against Hindi news channel Live India and its CEO Sudhir Chaudhary after settling the matter with them.
In an application before a court in Delhi, Khurana said that she has settled the issue “amicably” with regard to the sting operation with Live India TV Channel and its CEO Sudhir Chaudhary and did not want to pursue the matter.
Khurana, a teacher in Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, had filed in November last year a complaint through her counsel Amit Kumar, alleging that the TV Channel’s reporter had conducted a fake sting operation, which was approved for telecast by Chaudhary, that damaged her reputation.
“Since the matter has been settled/compromised between me and Live India TV Channel and Chaudhary, I do not want to proceed this case against other accused TV reporter Prakash Singh also. I am withdrawing this complaint against all accused,” she submitted in a statement before the court.
Taking her application into consideration, Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Jindal said: “I am of the view that the matter has been settled.”
Khurana had not only been manhandled by the protesting mob following the telecast of the fake sting operation on 30 August last year, but was also terminated from her service by the Delhi Government.
The court, however, had let off her in the criminal case, after the police chargesheet said that there was no “incriminating” evidence against her.
The police, however, had claimed that there was sufficient evidence to nail the three accused — Prakash Singh, Rashmi Singh and Virender Arora — in the criminal case under Section 120 (criminal conspiracy), 193 (punishment for false evidence) and 196 (using false evidence) and 471 (using forged document as genuine) of the IPC.
According to the chargesheet, Arora was having a monetary dispute with Khurana, who had refused to part with the money.
Arora allegedly hatched a conspiracy with Prakash to implicate the school teacher by carrying out a sting operation.
On 30 August, the TV sting triggered a violent outrage amongst the local public outside Khurana’s school near Daryaganj in Delhi.
However, Delhi Government had later reinstated Khurana after she was discharged by the court.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
