CBI raids a blatant political attack for witch-hunt against independent media : NDTV

The statement claimed that the searches in the Greater Kailash-1 residence of NDTV co-founders Prannoy and his wife Radhika Roy has been "confirmed" to have been carried out by the CBI under compulsion.

It said the searches  were based on "false allegations" of an individual even though his complaints had failed to obtain any order from the court of law.

"It is shocking that the CBI conducted searches on the NDTV offices and residence of the promoters without even conducting a preliminary enquiry," it said.

"This is a blatant political attack on the freedom of the press as sources confirm that under pressure, the CBI has been compelled to file an FIR based on a shoddy complaint by a disgruntled former consultant at NDTV called Sanjay Dutt, who has been making false allegations and filing cases in courts of law with these false allegations. So far, he has not obtained a single order from any of these courts."

Roy has been long hailed as a father of modern TV journalism in India and was highly respected as a journalist till in recent years controversies dogged the channel and its star reporters.

According to reports, the CBI confirmed  that searches were carried out at four places in New Delhi and Dehradun.

The CBI has registered a case against the Roys, a private company and others for causing an alleged loss of Rs. 48 crore to ICICI Bank.

The FIR said the defaulted loan by Roy is for a private company RRPR Holdings Private Limited.

However, NDTV claims that the allegation appears to be for a loan which has been repaid by Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy more than seven years ago..."NDTV and its promoters have never defaulted on any loan to ICICI or any other bank. We adhere to the highest levels of integrity and independence."

" It is clearly the independence and fearlessness of NDTV's team that the ruling party's politicians cannot stomach and the CBI raid is merely another attempt at silencing the media," the statement said.

"Even though lakhs and crores of rupees of dues have not been paid by several industrialists and no criminal case has yet been registered against any of them by the CBI, the CBI has chosen not only to register an FIR, but also conduct a search for a loan which has been duly repaid to ICICI Bank. Moreover, ICICI is a private bank."

Discounting the allegation that no disclosure was made to SEBI and other regulatory authorities, NDTV says this is "not only incorrect and false but also does not clothe the CBI with any power to register cases and search which further amplifies the fact that the search by the CBI is only a witch-hunt against independent media."