Ravish Kumar, NDTV’s popular anchor, has resigned as the channel’s senior executive editor with immediate effect. On Wednesday, November 30, NDTV president Suparna Singh reportedly emailed the channel’s staff, alerting them of Ravish Kumar’s resignation. The decision follows Gautam Adani’s acquisition of the channels and the departure of the channels’ founders, Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy, as directors from the board of RRPR Holding Private Ltd (RRPRH), the promoter group vehicle of New Delhi Television Ltd. (NDTV).
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Suparna’s letter reads:
“Ravish has resigned from NDTV and the company has agreed to his request for his resignation to be effective immediately. Few journalists have impacted people as much as Ravish. This reflects in the immense feedback about him; in the crowds he draws everywhere; in the prestigious awards and recognition he has received, within India and internationally; and in his daily reports, which champion the rights and needs of those who are under-served. Ravish has been an integral part of NDTV for decades; his contribution has been immense, and we know he will be hugely successful as he embarks on a new beginning,”
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Ravish Kumar’s Career
Ravish Kumar, a well-known journalist and novelist, has hosted several NDTV series, including Prime Time, Hum Log, Ravish ki Report and others. He has been with NDTV for over 15 years and has won various honours for his journalism. He graduated from the University of Delhi and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).
Ravish Kumar Receiving The Ramon Magsaysay Award
Image Source: NDTV
Ravish Kumar was the fifth Indian journalist to get the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2019. He has been outspoken in his criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government’s assault on press freedom, coining the term ‘godi media’ (roughly translated as ‘lapdog media’), which has now become a popular way to refer to news outlets perceived as mouthpieces of India’s ruling party.
The Post-Adani Takeover
Meanwhile, the Adani group’s takeover of NDTV has been completed with the immediate nomination of Sudipta Bhattacharya, Sanjay Pugalia, and Senthil Chengalvarayan as directors on the RRPRH board. RRPRH announced Monday that it had transferred 99.5% of its equity capital to Adani group-owned Vishvapradhan Commercial (VCPL), completing the Adani group’s official takeover of NDTV. Adani Enterprises’ indirect subsidiary is VCPL.
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The transfer of shares gives the Adani group ownership of 29.18% of NDTV. In addition, the diversified conglomerate is holding an open offer for another 26% ownership in the media company. According to market data, shareholders have tendered 5.3 million shares, or 31.78% of the issue size of 16.7 million shares, since the open offer began on November 22. The open bid period will end on December 5.
