The Indian government has said the new shareholding pattern of news broadcaster NDTV, where a Adani group company has taken controlling stakes of over 60 percent, has been shared with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as part of necessary procedure.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) stated in parliament yesterday that appointment of new directors on the NDTV board too have been sent to MHA.

“M/s New Delhi Television Ltd. (NDTV) has intimated this Ministry regarding change of its shareholding pattern in compliance with Clause 29 of the policy Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of television channels in India, 2022. This Ministry has shared the revised shareholding pattern of the company with Ministry of Home Affairs for security clearance,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur informed yesterday a fellow parliamentarian in Lok Sabha (Lower House).

He further stated: “M/s NDTV has also submitted the details of its proposed new directors to this Ministry. The list of the proposed new directors as submitted by M/s NDTV has been sent for security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is awaited.”

The Minister was responding to queries from a fellow parliamentarian whether it was a fact that the shareholding pattern of NDTV has changed and whether “required statutory clearances to transfer the licence to the new owners” was given by the government under relevant rules.

Meanwhile, news agencies like Reuters in January reported that NDTV had announced some of its senior executives, including President Suparna Singh, quitting, a move that came less than a month after the Adani Group took control of about 65 percent of the Indian news broadcaster.

The old timers at NDTV, including chief strategy officer Arijit Chatterjee and chief technology and product officer Kawaljit Singh Bedi, also left after founders Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy left the company’s board in December after selling a majority of the promoters’ stakes to a Adani group entity, giving the billionaire Gautam Adani-led conglomerates control of the broadcaster four months after it launched a takeover attempt.