Sudhir Chaudhary

A broadcast by Chaudhary portrayed Karnataka's Swavalambi Sarathi scheme as a discriminatory benefit reserved for minorities, leading to an FIR alleging misleading information and a risk of communal hostility.

State of the evidence

FIR and Karnataka High Court protections documented

Attribution

Editorial/personal responsibility alleged

In May 2026, the NBDSA found that an Aaj Tak broadcast presented by Sudhir Chaudhary claiming that the Taj Mahal had previously been a Hindu temple failed to meet neutrality requirements by omitting sufficient official counterpoint. It ordered modifications.

State of the evidence

NBDSA decision of 28 May 2026 documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility as presenter

The NBDSA criticised the treatment of the LGBTQIA+ community and same-sex marriage in Sudhir Chaudhary's broadcasts, finding certain comments derogatory and insufficiently respectful.

State of the evidence

NBDSA decision documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility as presenter

Remarks made by Chaudhary following the arrest of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren were denounced as insulting to Adivasi communities and led to criminal proceedings.

State of the evidence

FIR and Supreme Court order documented

Attribution

Personal responsibility alleged for broadcast remarks

Person targeted by the proceedings

Hemant Soren

The NBDSA sanctioned Aaj Tak following a Sudhir Chaudhary broadcast concerning remarks by Barack Obama, criticising the programme's use of labels such as 'tukde-tukde gang', Pakistan supporters or Khalistanis within a framework lacking neutrality.

State of the evidence

NBDSA decision documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility as presenter and broadcaster responsibility

Sudhir Chaudhary was prosecuted over Zee News coverage of the Dhulagarh violence in West Bengal, under provisions concerning the promotion of hostility between groups. In 2023, the Calcutta High Court quashed the proceedings.

State of the evidence

FIR and Calcutta High Court judgment documented

Attribution

Personal responsibility alleged and subsequently rejected

In a broadcast about Muslims attending Garba events, Sudhir Chaudhary used framing which the NBDSA considered generalising and liable to attribute malicious intent to an entire community.

State of the evidence

NBDSA decision documented in the press

Attribution

Direct responsibility as presenter

Another Sudhir Chaudhary broadcast concerning encroachments around mausoleums and religious sites used the expression "Mazhaar Jihad". The NBDSA found that the term unnecessarily introduced a communal dimension and should be avoided.

State of the evidence

NBDSA order documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility as presenter

Kerala police registered an FIR against Sudhir Chaudhary following an episode of DNA presenting a chart of supposed forms of 'jihad'. The complaint argued that the content offended the Muslim community and promoted hostility.

State of the evidence

FIR documented

Attribution

Personal responsibility for content presented on air

Jindal Steel & Power accused Sudhir Chaudhary and another Zee executive of demanding approximately 100 crore rupees in advertising contracts in exchange for stopping negative reports on coal block allocations. Both journalists were arrested in 2012. In 2018, the parties settled their dispute and JSPL requested closure of the case.

State of the evidence

Complaint, arrest and settlement documented

Attribution

Personal criminal responsibility alleged