News Broadcasting
Republic TV files contempt petition against Times Group
NEW DELHI: The Republic TV–Times Now war took yet another turn with Arnab Goswami’s channel filing a contempt petition against the Times Group alleging violation of court orders in the ongoing civil suit.
Earlier, in the case by Bennett Coleman Company Ltd (owner of Times Now Channel) against Republic TV and Goswami alleging theft and infringement of intellectual property, Justice Manmohan had on 26 May passed an order restraining both the channels from broadcasting or publishing the day-to-day proceedings of the case. They were only allowed to reproduce the court order.
However, Republic TV has alleged in the contempt petition that BCCL have published an article in their newspaper Times of India pertaining to the proceedings of the case. The same has been circulated through their website as well.
The Court had directed BCCL to publish the order in question in their newspaper within three days. However, an irked Justice Manmohan observed that both the parties should bring down the temperature. He said, “There is scope for everyone in this profession.”
Referring to Republic TV, he observed: “The more people attack you, the more publicity you will get.”
The petition says the article gave the impression that BCCL secured some relief from the Court. The petition also states that Times had maligned Republic, “…by publishing coloured information pertaining to the sub judice proceedings, giving the general public at large the impression that the Court had issued favourable orders to the detriment of the petitioner, with the intention of maligning and tarnishing his image. This was in spite of the express observation of this Court that BCCL had brought no document on record to show that the impugned audio tapes were part of their data base.”
Appearing for the Times Group, senior Advocate Rajiv Nayyar expressing regret submitted that the publishing of the said article was an error and happened due to a communication gap.
Republic TV has now asked the high court to restrain the Times Group from reporting the case till the disposal of the suit. It has also sought a direction to make the alleged contemnors publish an article in ToI, “apologising for deliberately misreporting and misleading the general public about the outcome of the proceedings…” It has also asked for exemplary costs in its favour.
The Republic TV petition was filed by Phoenix Legal, through Partners Saket Shukla, Mrinal Ojha, Trinath Tadakamalla and Debarshi Dutta.
News Broadcasting
News18 India to air Sabse Bada Dangal on 4 May counting day
Channel promises fastest results, live trends and analysis across five states.
MUMBAI: Ballots will do the talking and screens will do the shouting. As counting day approaches for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, News18 India is gearing up for an all-day broadcast of its flagship election show, Sabse Bada Dangal, on 4 May from 6 am onwards. The Hindi news channel plans to deliver continuous, real-time updates as votes are tallied, combining live counting data with on-ground reporting and studio analysis. With political fortunes set to shift through the day, the coverage will track every swing, surge and surprise as trends turn into results.
The broadcast will feature a mix of senior political leaders, analysts and experts, offering instant reactions and decoding the evolving electoral picture. Expect heated debates, quick takes and detailed breakdowns as the numbers settle across all five states.
For News18 India, counting day has long been a high-visibility moment. The network is banking on its reporting reach, editorial bandwidth and technology-driven coverage to stay ahead in what is often a fiercely competitive news cycle.
With multiple battlegrounds and shifting narratives, the day promises both drama and data in equal measure. And if all goes to plan, Sabse Bada Dangal will once again turn the counting of votes into prime-time spectacle.
