NBDSA Orders Since 2023 Mostly Target Communal-Code Breaches, With Takedowns Outpacing Fines
The three-year record points to a consensus model that slows decisions, leaving offending content online for months.
Overview
- From 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2025, the NBDSA issued 54 orders, with 32 addressing violations of the code on communal harmony.
- The Authority ordered partial or complete removal in 37 cases, while imposing only six fines totaling Rs 3.2 lakh and none in 2025.
- Case resolution took an average of 11–12 months from complaint to final order, during which the contested material remained publicly available.
- Repeatedly cited content included stereotypes and narratives such as “love jihad,” “land jihad,” and demographic-change framing that targeted minorities.
- Enforcement clustered on a few channels: Times Now Navbharat (16 removal orders, including one fine), News18 India (eight removals, four fines), and Zee News (five removals).