Poonch Court in Jammu and Kashmir has ordered the police on Saturday to register a First Information Report (FIR) against prominent news channels, including ZEE News and News 18 India, as well as 18 other unnamed editors and reporters of news channels who falsely labelled a Kashmiri Islamic teacher, who was killed in the recent India-Pakistan military conflict following Pahalgam attack as “Pakistan Terrorist.”
The complaint filed by advocate Sheikh Mohammad Saleem pointed out that the accused national channels have falsely identified and defamed Qari Mohammed Iqbal, an Islamic Studies teacher working at Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom in Poonch, who was killed during the Pakistani Shelling on 7th May 2025, by labelling him as a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist, involved in the Pulwama Attack.
The petitioner submitted an application in the Poonch Sub-judge court under section 175 (3) of the BNS, seeking direction to the Poonch SHO to file an FIR against the accused news channels for slandering a civilian who was killed among 11 others in the heavy artillery firing by Pakistan Military along the 740-km Line of Control, following Operation Sindhoor.
Many national media outlets described his death as a victory for the Indian security forces by falsely labelling and defaming Qari Iqbal as a Pakistani terrorist affiliated with LeT. He was labelled as a top commander of LeT by Republic World, “Lashkar terrorist” by CNN News 18, and “Terrorist” killed during Operation Sindoor by Zee News. Some of them also went further, affiliating him with terror attacks, including Pulwama, without any solid basis.
This defamation and slander by popular national media outlets were condemned by the residents of Poonch, who organised protests, forcing J&K police to advise and warn of legal actions against the misleading description and defamation of a “respected religious figure.”
The court directed the J&K police to register an FIR under Sections 353 (2) (public mischief), 356 (defamation) and 196 (1) (promoting enmity between different religious groups) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with section 66 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (dishonest or fraudulent act using computer) against the news channels and anchors involved in the case, as they involved in a misleading coverage, containing serious false informations.
The Court, under the jurisdiction of Sub-Judge Shafeeq Ahmed, observed that these news channels were involved in a serious act of irresponsible reporting during a period of utmost tensions in the State, and the mischief caused by their reporting cannot be cured with a mere apology.
The complainant also mentioned that the reports by the accused news channels included Qari Muhammad Iqbal’s photo and full name, and had done enough damage to the innocent civilian’s family, before withdrawing them due to widespread criticisms.
In the ruling, the court reminded the channels of Media responsibility, stating that while the press enjoys protection under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, this right is subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2), especially in cases involving defamation, public order and decency.
The judge also noted that the branding of a deceased civilian teacher as a terrorist “without any verification” was a serious journalistic misconduct, which can harm social harmony and could have triggered public unrest.
Though the Poonch police tried to argue that the matter happened outside the territorial jurisdiction of the Poonch Court, as the broadcast originated from Delhi, the court directed that when the consequence of an act like defamation occurs in a different location, jurisdiction can be valid in either place, referring to the Section 199 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The court also stated that the damage following the false accusations occurred in Poonch, where the deceased lived, worked and was martyred. The judge also ordered the Poonch SHO to register an FIR, conduct a “fair, impartial and time-bound investigation” and file a compliance report within seven days, with oversight by the Poonch SSP.
