The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority has censured News18 India and its anchor Rubika Liyaquat for violating broadcast ethics by attributing guilt to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case, in which probe is ongoing.

The regulatory body directed the channel to delete the offending portions of the broadcast within seven days.

The programme, Goonj with Rubika Liyaquat, aired on March 28 and discussed Kejriwal’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with allegations of corruption in the Delhi excise policy.

The complainant, Pune-based activist Indrajeet Ghorpade, has alleged that the broadcast breached neutrality guardrails and promoted political bias. In his plea, he cited instances where Liyaquat repeated unverified claims of wrongdoing on the part of the Aam Aadmi Party leader.

In its order dated January 24, News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority Chairperson Justice AK Sikri, a retired Supreme Court judge, stated: “There was no problem with the anchor defending the prime minister…However, the problem lay in the manner in which the anchor had attributed guilt in a matter that is subjudice.”

The authority found that Liyaquat failed to counter false claims made by Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala, who claimed that courts had denied Kejriwal bail because he had been involved in the alleged scam.

The authority also noted that during the debate, Liyaquat reprimanded Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ameeque Jamei for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “He is your prime minister too…you remain within the limits of manners and etiquettes and then speak,” she had told Jamei.

The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority ruled that the debate violated guidelines on impartiality, neutrality and the reporting of court proceedings. It also referred to the Bombay High Court’s judgement in Nilesh Navlakha vs Union of India (2021), which stressed adherence to neutrality in matters that were being adjudicated in courts.

While News18 India denied that the broadcast implied guilt and argued that Liyaquat was merely regulating the debate’s tone, the news regulator emphasised that her conduct fell short of the expected standards of professionalism. “The anchor was expected to exercise restraint, maintain a professional tone, and refrain from engaging in a back-and-forth with panellists,” the order stated.

The regulatory body instructed the channel to remove the contentious portions of the programme and advised it to ensure compliance with broadcast guidelines in future debates. The complaint was closed with these directions.