News Regulator Orders Aaj Tak to Edit Taj Mahal Segment
The NBDSA reversed an earlier finding to require changes after finding the programme failed to present an official counterview on a contested heritage claim.
Overview
- The News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority directed Aaj Tak to edit the Taj Mahal portion of its November 29, 2024 episode in an order issued on May 28, 2026.
- The regulator said the programme fell short of neutrality because it used Archaeological Survey of India material for other segments but omitted ASI records when presenting the claim that the Taj Mahal was once a Hindu temple.
- A complainant, Indrajeet Ghorpade, first filed the case in December 2024 and after a review hearing on March 12, 2026 the NBDSA reopened and reversed its December 2025 no-violation finding.
- Aaj Tak defended the episode as documentary-style historical analysis and said it relied on third-party sources, while the ASI has consistently stated that the Taj Mahal is a tomb and not built on a temple.
- The order is an editorial remedy by India’s broadcast self-regulator and highlights that future programmes making contested heritage claims may be required to show official records and clearer counterviews to avoid fuelling communal tension.