Key Points
NBDSA fined Zee News ₹1 lakh for airing a viral, unverified video that falsely suggested a truck driver offering Namaz caused a traffic jam on the Jammu–Srinagar highway.
The claim was disproved by Alt News citing other videos of the incident and traffic advisories that revealed the jam as being caused due to weather conditions.
The Authority held that merely stating a video is “viral” or “unverified” does not absolve broadcasters of responsibility under the Code of Conduct, and issued further compliance guidelines for social media content use.
The News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) has imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on Zee News for airing an unverified video that falsely linked a traffic jam on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway to a Muslim truck driver offering Namaz. In a detailed common order dated 17 February 2026, the regulator also issued fresh guidelines governing the use of social media content by broadcasters and digital publishers.
The order, numbered 212 (2026), was passed by NBDSA Chairperson Justice AK Sikri (Retd.) in response to complaints filed by Indrajeet Ghorpade, Utkarsh Mishra and Syed Kaab Rashidi regarding broadcasts aired on 3 and 4 March 2025 under the headline “ट्रक पर नमाज...जम्मू में नया बवाल शुरू!” (“Namaz on a truck…new ruckus in Jammu”).
In the impugned broadcasts, Zee News aired a viral video purportedly showing a truck driver offering Namaz on top of his vehicle in Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir. The channel suggested that the driver had stopped his truck in the middle of the highway to pray, thereby causing a massive traffic jam.
The programme repeatedly played the video and stated that the other side of the highway was empty because no one else had stopped to pray. Although the reporter mentioned that the video was viral and not independently verified, the anchors’ commentary implied that the prayer had led to public inconvenience and called for action. The broadcast also featured captions such as “Truck par namaz, highway kiya jam” and “Khadi rahi gaadiya, log hue pareshan”.
Complainants alleged that the broadcast communalised a routine traffic disruption and presented an unverified social media clip as the cause of the jam. They argued that this violated the NBDSA’s Guidelines to Prevent Communal Colour in Reporting Crime, Riots, Rumours and Such Related Arguments, as well as the Principles of Self-Regulation related to Ensuring Neutrality, Impartiality and Objectivity in the Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards.
They cited fact-checks and traffic advisories showing that the highway had already been disrupted due to severe weather conditions and landslides.
Fact-checking portal Alt News examined the viral clip at the time of airing and found that the highway had already been disrupted due to severe weather conditions and landslides.
Examining a longer version of the video, the outlet found that traffic congestion was visible ahead of the truck as well, indicating that the driver was himself stuck in an existing jam rather than causing it. Screenshots from the video showed vehicles lined up in front of the truck.
Further, Alt News highlighted advisories issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police between 27 February and 3 March 2025, which confirmed disruptions on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway due to adverse weather and landslides. On 28 February 2025, part of a road in Ramban had caved in. Movement was suspended or restricted to single-lane passage during restoration work, leading to traffic congestion.
Hindustan Times, ANI and regional outlets also reported road closures and delays during that period. Alt News concluded that Zee News had amplified a misleading claim by attributing the jam to the truck driver’s prayer.
In its response, Zee News argued that the coverage was based on a viral social media video that had gained widespread attention. It maintained that the video’s authenticity had not been verified and that this was clearly communicated during the broadcast. The channel further stated that it deleted the video after realising it was fake.
However, during the hearing, the broadcaster admitted that the video had not been verified at the time of telecast. The NBDSA held that reliance on unverified social media content constituted a serious lapse and violated the principle of “Accuracy” under the Code of Conduct.
The Authority noted that members are required to adhere to the Code prior to telecasting or publishing content. Merely stating that a video is viral and unverified does not absolve a broadcaster of responsibility. The regulator observed that simply disclaiming verification at the end of a report is insufficient when anchors confidently promote the narrative during the broadcast.
While the NBDSA indicated that a heavier penalty could have been imposed considering the nature of the violation, it took into account the subsequent deletion of the video and imposed a fine of ₹1,00,000.
Significantly, the order goes beyond the specific case and addresses a growing industry trend of sourcing content from social media platforms.
The NBDSA observed that while social media can be instrumental in gathering information, it also carries risks of distortion, misinformation, fake news and AI-generated deepfakes. To address these concerns, the Authority issued additional guidelines for strict compliance by members of the News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA):
Mandatory verification of all information, images and videos sourced from social media before broadcast or publication.
Corroboration through reliable sources, including on-ground reporting, eyewitness accounts, police and official government sources wherever possible.
Fact-checking for manipulation or AI generation, with scrutiny for distortion or deepfake content.
No out-of-context presentation of authentic content that could mislead audiences.
Heightened scrutiny in sensitive situations, such as military operations, armed conflict, communal violence, public disorder and crime, ensuring adherence to “public interest” and “accuracy”.
A clear directive that disclaimers are not a shield: stating that content is viral or unverified does not absolve a broadcaster from responsibility under the Code.
The NBDSA directed that these guidelines be circulated among members and editors, hosted on the NBDA website, included in its next Annual Report and released to the media.
The fine comes amid a broader pattern of NBDSA scrutiny of communal and sensitive reporting by television news channels.
Between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2025, the NBDSA issued 54 orders concerning private TV and digital news broadcasters. Of these, 32 orders – nearly 60% – addressed violations of the ethics code on communal harmony. In 37 cases, the Authority ordered content removal, while financial penalties were imposed in only six instances, totalling ₹3.2 lakh. No fines were issued in 2025 until this order.
Zee News has been the subject of multiple NBDSA directives in recent years.
In December 2025, the Authority pulled up Zee News, along with India TV, News 18, and ABP News for using the term “Love Jihad” to communalise a fictional letter from an outdated Class 3 NCERT textbook. The letter showed a girl named Reena writing to a boy named Ahmed. NBDSA concluded that the broadcasts peddled a conspiracy theory, provided one-sided information and violated the Code of Conduct. It directed all related videos to be taken down.
In September 2025, the Authority ordered the channel to remove four videos related to its “Mehendi Jihad” broadcasts from October 2024. The segments had alleged that Muslim mehendi artists were spitting in henna and concealing their identity to coerce Hindu women into marriage and conversion. The NBDSA found that the channel dedicated substantial airtime to one perspective without presenting the views of affected Muslim artists or authorities, violating neutrality and communal harmony guidelines.
In June 2025, NBDSA pulled up Zee News for four other broadcasts from October 2024 for peddling the “Thook Jihad” conspiracy. A complaint registered with the Authority highlighted several segments of the videos that amounted to sensationalisation, communalization, targeted coverage, perpetuation of harmful stereotypes, and dehumanising of a community. NBDSA ruled that the broadcasts – specifically the use of the term ‘jihad’ – violated the Guidelines for Prevention of Hate Speech, Specific Guidelines for Anchors conducting Programmes, and Guidelines to Prevent Communal Colour in Reporting.
Earlier, in November 2021, the regulator ordered Zee News to take down shows found to have spread misinformation and hatred against farmers. In November 2020, Zee News, along with other channels, was directed to air public apologies for sensational coverage in the Sushant Singh Rajput case.
The NBDSA’s latest order against Zee News thus fits within a pattern of regulatory intervention concerning accuracy, neutrality and communal sensitivity in broadcast content.
[DS]
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