Introduction
“Anjana om Kashyap”, a senior anchor of Aaj Tak news channel and host of the show named Black and white from which the controversy started as her show was titled that “भारत विभाजन का मकसद पूरा क्यों नहीं हुआ” (Why the Purpose of India’s Partition Was Not Fulfilled). On which retired IPS officer Amitabh Thakur alleged that the broadcast promoted communal disorder which led to registration of complaint by judicial magistrate under section 196 and 197 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Now this case grabs the attention of the people around the country and becomes the debating point across media, politics and society.
Background
“Anjana Om Kashyap”, a host of the show named Black and White. On 14 August,2025 the episode was aired which explored the communal narrative behind the 1947 partition achieved and what its intended outcome was. But the critics on social media criticized it as unfairly against the Muslims and they failed to migrate during the partition and added as the shadow of blame on the community. This episode is aired when there are Bihar assembly election and its very sensitive atmosphere
Complaint and prior controversies
The retired IPS officer Amitab Thakur approached the court after police declined to lodge the F.I.R against Anjana Om Kashyap. On 2 September,2025 the magistrate registered the complaint under
1. Section 196(BNS): – Promoting enmity between religious or community groups
2. Section 197(BNS): –Statement Prejudicial to public mischief and national integration
Further, the judicial magistrate ordered the matter to be taken up in late September 2025. It’s not the first time when “Anjana Om Kashyap” is in the spotlight as in 2019, she was criticized for storming into an ICU during the encephalitis outbreak and in 2025 when Delhi High Court ordered to remove the Deepfake video impersonating her.
Opinions on the controversy
Opinions are like the two faces of the coin in this controversy. It is like that the opposition leaders accused her of pushing the political party agenda of communal narrative and it is done deliberately. On the other hand, there are supporters of “Anjana Om Kashyap” who see it as fearless journalism, and she is being targeted by the opposition.
Conclusion
The “Anjana Om Kashyap” case is not just the legal battle it is the very long non ending battle which should reflect the thin line between media freedom and societal responsibility. But what is the thin line should be known and if the thin line is hiding the reality behind it there are many questions that arise out of this case and it will become the landmark moment for responsible journalism in India’s democratic and diverse society.
About the Author
Tushar Kumar is a final-year BBA-LLB student at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. With a strong interest in Intellectual Property Rights, he enjoys exploring how law interacts with innovation and creativity. He’s equally passionate about legal writing, Research and believes in making complex legal ideas easier to understand through clear articles. Tushar continues to deepen his understanding of the law while contributing thoughtful pieces on contemporary legal issues.