Fact Check: NDTV promoters and owners Prannoy Roy and his wife are not Muslim
After 7 years of FIR, the CBI submitted a closure report in a case alleging cheating against former NDTV promoters
Prannoy roy
After 7 years of FIR, the CBI submitted a closure report in a case alleging cheating against former NDTV promoters and directors Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy in October 2024.
Meanwhile, a few social media users are sharing a message claiming that the CBI attacked NDTV Prannoy Roy and revealed many secrets. The post claims that Roy’s real name is Parvez Raja and his birth place is Karachi. The full name of NDTV is “Nawajud Din Taufiq Venture” (NDTV). This is Roy’s father’s name. His wife Radhika’s real name is Rahila. The claim also mentions that there is a dart board with Narendra Modi’s face in Roy’s bedroom. The claim is viral on Twitter.
Here is the archive link of the claim.
Fact Check:
The claim is False. CBI reports do not mention any such information.
When we checked the CBI reports, we did not find any such information. According to the reports published in 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) searched the offices and homes of NDTV founder Prannoy Roy over allegations of defrauding a bank, a move the news broadcaster denounced as a “witch-hunt” to muzzle free speech. Federal agents named Roy, his wife Radhika and a private company linked to NDTV – RRPR Holding Private Ltd – among others in a criminal case for allegedly causing losses to ICICI Bank.
In 2008, ICICI Bank gave the private holding company a loan of Rs 366 crore on personal guarantees of the Roys who pledged their NDTV shares that were valued more than the prevailing price at the Bombay Stock Exchange. Within a year, ICICI settled for foreclosure of the loan, agreeing to a part-waiver of interest that allegedly resulted in a loss of Rs 48 crores for the bank, the CBI’s formal investigations launched last week said. The Roys moved out an equivalent amount from RRPR’s bank account, it alleged.
A press release published by the CBI website on June 6, 2017, mentions that the promoters of NDTV are Dr Prannoy Roy , Smt Radhika Roy, M/s RRPR Holdings Pvt Ltd. The release does not mention any findings claimed in the viral posts. The same rumor was viral in the year 2017 and was confirmed as a fake message and is a propaganda message.
CBI filed a closure report on October 2024 in the alleged cheating case against former NDTV promoters and directors Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy. The report cited ‘insufficient legally admissible evidence’ regarding the Rs 48 crore loss suffered by ICICI bank during a loan settlement in 2009. In 2017, the CBI filed an FIR against the Roys and others alleging criminal conspiracy, cheating, and criminal misconduct under various IPC sections and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Even in the latest reports, we did not find any evidence that can prove the viral post. The claim is false.