BJD leader and city Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena has allegedly moved the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry against five Odia news channels urging legal action, cancellation of their licences and slapping of exemplary fine for telecasting defamatory news against him involving suspicious death of Asuotsh alias Rishi Mohanty and a sex clip.
However, Jena outright rejected such a move by him, saying those who have prepared the sex clip and dragged his name in the case, have submitted the petition with the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) of the Government of India using his name. The CPGRAMS web portal mentions, “I, Ananta Narayan Jena, state that TV channels from Odisha name and style as Zee Kalinga, Kanaka TV, ETV News Odia, Odisha Television and Prameya News 7 have telecasted defamatory news against me. Having connivance with one Itish Pradhan and Pradip Pandey, the news channels showed my video of having group sex with a woman. The channels have transmitted sexual scenes of mine along with another two persons (one man and another woman). They also conspired against me to link with a murder case of youth of our city. The telecasting of sexual scenes and whistling false stories have damaged my reputation, and violated the terms and conditions of licenses granted to them for operating news TV channels. Therefore, I pray to take legal action and cancel their relevant permission for telecasting the news along with exemplary fine.”
The plaint was submitted on January 6.
Meanwhile, BJP vice-president Sameer Mohanty alleged that the Mayor has tried to gag freedom of press in a democracy by filing such a complaint.