Complainant S K Srivastava claims that these channels claim to be Hindi news channels but are using other languages in their daily commentaries, which is a fraud on the public and a criminal act.
उर्दू से चिढ़! उर्दू शब्दों के इस्तेमाल पर सूचना मंत्रालय ने हिंदी समाचार चैनलों को नोटिस भेजा
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, has issued a notice to the country’s leading Hindi news channels. This notice was issued in response to a complaint regarding the use of Urdu words in news reports. Based on a complaint filed on September 9, 2025, the Ministry has sent formal notices to five major news channels. The channels that received the notices include Aaj Tak, ABP News, Zee News, TV9 Bharatvarsh, and TV18.
According to The Wire Hindi, S.K. Srivastava, a resident of Thane, Maharashtra, filed a complaint on September 9, 2025, on the Ministry’s Centralized Public Grievance Redressal and Monitoring System portal, alleging that Hindi news channels TV9 Bharatvarsh, Aaj Tak, ABP News, Zee News, and TV18 are using approximately 30% Urdu words in their broadcasts.
He claims that these channels claim to be Hindi news channels but are using other languages in their daily commentaries, which constitutes fraud and criminal acts against the public. He has demanded that these channels be directed to appoint language experts and share their certificates on their websites.
According to The Wire Hindi, S.K. Srivastava, who describes himself as a legal practitioner, says, “Look, Hindi TV channels use words like ‘taashreef rakhie’ for ‘sit’ and ‘sailab’ for flood. How can a Hindi speaker understand all this?” He adds, “One of my objectives is to ensure that those who speak Hindi, who have BA, MA, and PhD degrees in Hindi, find work.”
On September 18, 2025, following S.K. Srivastava’s complaint, Navneet Kumar, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, sent separate letters to the five channels, stating that they had received complaints against them for allegedly using incorrect Hindi. The letter clarified that in light of the complaint, necessary action has been directed against the channels under the Cable Television Network (Amendment) Rules. The channels have been ordered to inform the Ministry and the complainant of the decision taken on the complaint within 15 days.
It is worth noting that the Central Government implemented the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2025 in January 2025. According to the government, these rules have been enacted to modernize and better regulate the cable television sector. This complaint, filed on the Centralized Public Grievances Redressal and Monitoring System portal, was marked as ‘Case Closed’ on September 19, 2025. Currently, as per government guidelines, complaints are resolved within 21 days, up from 30 days previously.
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