'If you want to force the press into blacking out the Opposition's views or colour the news to your own liking, we will not do so.'
'We stand by freedom of expression. It is our Constitutional right. We stand by our Constitutional right.'
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, January 20, directed the Punjab government to allow the Punjab Kesari newspaper to resume operations at its printing press in Ludhiana, saying 'newspapers cannot be stopped'.
The court said the state government should not take any coercive steps against the publication of Punjab Kesari until the Punjab and Haryana high court decides on a petition filed by the media group.
On January 15 the Pollution Control Board of Punjab ordered a shutdown of the group's printing press over alleged water pollution.
The media group publishes some of the highest-circulating Hindi and Punjabi dailies in the state, including Punjab Kesari, Jag Bani and Hind Samachar.
After the Supreme Court's legal shield, one of the owners of the media group, Amit Chopra, spoke to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff about why the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab is against the group.
The Supreme Court has given you interim relief and barred the Punjab government from taking action against your newspaper. Is this breather good enough?
The Supreme Court has stayed any coercive action by the Punjab government against our group. Therefore, the orders passed for closing of our Ludhiana press stands stayed. We continue to operate.
Also, their advocate told the Supreme Court of India that no further action is planned by them against our group. After the Supreme Court order the Punjab government will think twice before stifling freedom of the press.
The AAP government stated that editorial independence will be protected, but violations that endanger public health, workers or the environment will not be overlooked.
Any business could have shortcomings at any point of time and an opportunity should be given to correct those.
The environment protection laws give you a certain timeframe to correct those anomalies, however big or small they are.
In our case those anomalies were very small and did not warrant the kind of action taken against us. We stand for the environment and we stand committed to take whatever steps are required to protect and preserve it.
We have installed solar power on our rooftop to generate clean energy. We are very committed.
'Completely mala fide'
However, if there is some breakdown in equipment you cannot come and shut down the place.
Moreover, the way and manner it was done was completely mala fide. All my three printing presses in Punjab run on electricity and use very little water. They forcibly entered the premises to collect samples from somewhere and without getting the results of that sample, on that very day and in an opaque manner forced the closure of the unit.
This is not protecting the environment. The intention was to stifle freedom of the press.
The reason why all this started was on October 31, 2025, when we carried a certain news item. Hundreds of policemen swooped down on our units, climbing walls, our security guards were beaten up, they took away our DVRs (digital video recorder) and the policemen were hiding their face.
These things are not acceptable and democracy can or should work.
What was the news item that irked the state government?
We did not write anything more than what any other newspaper wrote.
It was a BJP press release against AAP and we carried the AAP's version too in the same article.
Now, if you want to force the press into blacking out the Opposition's views or colour the news to your own liking, we will not do so. We stand by freedom of expression. It is our Constitutional right. We stand by our Constitutional right.
We will not be cowed down by the unconstitutional demands of any political party.
'You cannot stop news from being carried'
Did you publish any report against AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal in particular, like he was staying in a government guest house in Punjab or getting favours from the Punjab government which he was not entitled to?
We did not specifically target anyone. We did not flash the news item more than any other newspaper did in Punjab.
I don't know what the legal position is on someone staying in the government guest house, but you cannot stop news from being carried.
You can definitely insist on your version being carried. You can file a defamation suit or send a legal notice and I can correct my errors but you cannot force me to do any of the things.
Two liquor bottles were found in your newspaper establishment, it is said, or was it 800 bottles of liquor across all your establishments? What is the truth? How does it violate the law?
That is not true. These liquor bottles were found in our hotel bars. They were legally purchased and the excise department came and seized 804 bottles for which we produced invoices for all the bottles.
Now out of these 804 bottles, two bottles were found without holograms and QR code. That is the allegation and therefore they were termed illegal. These two bottles were of Jaisalmer gin.
I am a teetotaller so I have not seen a bottle like that. Our hotel is managed by the Sarovar group who manage 150 hotels around the country. And the accounts staff produced all the invoices. They were bought under licence and permit. We have licences for liquor for our hotels which they cancelled. The liquor bottles were not found in the printing press, and that is a wrong assertion. This is a trumped up charge.
'They can say anything'
The Pollution Control Board of Punjab sent you notices, so was there any violation from your side? Punjab Advocate General Shadan Farsat said only one unit has been directed to be closed due to pollution, and it is incorrect to say that the entire newspaper has been shut. How far is it true?
They have come to all the units. They forcibly collected samples from all the units without the presence of the management and the apprehension was and is that we always had the protection of the Supreme Court, else they would have definitely shut down all our units. Now that we have the protection of Supreme Court of India, they can say anything.
Are your hotels emitting any toxic chemicals?
No more than any household or other hotels. Detergents and softeners, and that is what the allegation is against us.
We do have an NOC (no objection certificate) from the municipal corporations. There is a central sewage treatment plant (STP) of the city and we have permission to discharge into it.
Unfortunately, the main STP plant is not working and that is the fault of the government. They are not able to repair it and are making allegations against our establishment. The real purpose is not to take care of pollution but coerce us.
Have they stopped Punjab government advertisements to your newspaper? Because the government clarified that public advertising is not an entitlement and cannot be used as insulation against regulatory scrutiny.
This happened from November 2, 2025, and before that they stopped all our newspaper distribution vans. Our vans that were distributing newspapers disappeared in the night. Later, at 7 am, it was found that the police were ordered to seal all the vans and take the mobile phones of all the drivers.
All this was illegal. No one has ever touched the distribution of newspapers. After checking newspaper copies to see whether they had any news against Kejriwal or the chief minister of Punjab they released the vans.
This has never happened in the history of Punjab or the country. No government in India has stopped newspaper vans and seized them.
The excuse was they were checking for weapons and drugs by the transporters who carry the newspapers. Of course, nothing was found. This was as absurd as the other things they did.
'AAP govt is a great disappointment'
The AAP won a majority in the Punjab assembly elections. What went wrong?
It is a great disappointment. I am personally disappointed too.
When so many people of Punjab gave a historic mandate they were expecting a lot from the government. Instead of fulfilling their manifesto promises they are doing these kinds of things, which is very sad. One year to go for elections and I have no idea what agenda they are projecting.
Have they done any good things?
I will not put myself in the place of the people of Punjab and speak for them.
Generally, I heard a lot of disappointment from people and nothing much is visible on the ground. That is what the perception is but I have no right to speak on behalf of everyone. It is the people of Punjab who will decide when the time comes for elections.
Is it true that action was taken against RTI activist Manik Goyal after he raised questions about who was using the CM's chopper when Bhagwat Mann was on a foreign trip?
A lot is happening and there are a lot of such allegations. We have been getting stories of even small media outlets and even YouTubers (who are being harassed by the Punjab government for speaking against them). I am told a lot of people are complaining. I don't know specifically, though.
You did approach Chief Minister Mann. What happened?
We wrote a letter to him requesting him not to interfere with the media and allow it to function independently. That is what we could do.
I never got a chance to meet him recently. I met him earlier but not on this occasion.
'We work for freedom of expression'
The bravery of the founder of Punjab Kesari, Lala Jagat Narain who was murdered by terrorists in 1981, is taught in journalism schools. We grew up reading about him and now the state government is taking you on.
Punjab has seen very bad times. Our organisation lost 62 people (in terrorist attacks), and that included my grandfather and my uncle. My father, he put up a very brave fight and God bless him, he is 94 and still a fighter.
He is steadfast and we continue on the same path. We continue to work for freedom of expression and the integrity of the nation against separatist forces.
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