36 former employees of India Ahead news channel have filed a case in a Delhi court against the company, Andhra Prabha Publications, the former Editor-in Chief Bhupendra Choubey and senior management officials of the company over unpaid dues..District Judge Abhitosh Pratap Singh Rathore on May 21 issued summons to 11 defendants in the civil suit filed by journalists Maneesh Chhibber, Smita Sharma and others.The suit has been filed for recovery of salaries and other benefits amounting to ₹1.21 crore."Issue summons for settlement of issues to the defendants on filing of PF/RC through all the permissible modes including electronic mail/whatsapp/telegram, returnable for 05.07.2025," the Court ordered..Those who have been summoned include,India Ahead News Pvt. Ltd;Sudeep Mukhia;Andhra Prabha Publications Limited;Emmel Infrastructure Private Limited;Zues Networking Private Limited;Naveen Krishna Mootha;Venkateswara Sasishar Mootha;Goutam Mootha;Gopala Krishna Mootha;Lakshmi Mootha; andBhupendra Chaubey..India Ahead was launched in 2018 by the Andhra Prabha Media Group. The news channel was reportedly shut in the beginning of 2023. According to media reports, the employees at the channel had been receiving irregular salaries since 2022. Many senior journalists had initially joined the organization but resigned within few years. .In the suit filed before Saket Court, it has been stated that India Ahead company is capable of clearing the dues of the former employees but there are "grave suspicions regarding the siphoning of funds and misappropriation of assets" within the Andhra Prabha group.The suit adds that the employees were given false assurances by the management that the salaries will be paid but rather the funds were being "siphoned off to other related companies" with multiple common directors."To keep the Plaintiffs from initiating any direct action and to continue giving them a false assurance, the Defendant no. 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 conducted various meetings that were held in Delhi addressing the concern of non-releasing of their salaries, bonuses and other benefits as promised to the Plaintiffs herein. In each meeting the Defendants have assured the Plaintiffs herein that their salaries will be released soon. However, their promises and assurances never gained any face and were far from the reality," the suit states..It has also been alleged that the India Ahead company has not only been denying the dues to the employees but also "doing wrong to their clients who are giving them business by giving them advertisements to run on their channel.""The Defendant companies have turned into a money-minting instruments by running the advertisements on a loop. There is no reporting of domestic or international news because they have run out of employees to work for them because of non-payment of salaries to the Plaintiffs," the suit states.Further, it has also been alleged that though defendant companies did not pay the salaries of employees, they "falsely reported employee payments and benefits in their turnover reports".The suit is next listed for hearing on July 5..Advocate Deepak Jain, Founding Partner at Rad and Partners is representing the plaintiffs.[Read Order]
