The Delhi High Court has dismissed a defamation case filed by Dhanya Rajendran, owner of the online news portal The News Minute, against Janam TV in connection with a report it carried on the “Cutting South” campaign. “Cutting South” was a movement alleged to encourage separatism and fissiparous tendencies. The Janam TV report had referred to Dhanya’s alleged links with the “Cutting South” movement. The Delhi High Court ruled that Dhanya’s defamation case would not stand.
The “Cutting South” seminar was conducted in March 2023 in Kochi, under the leadership of Dhanya Rajendran. Political observers and right-thinking individuals had alleged that “Cutting South” was a campaign intended to play a divisive role by promoting regional separation between Dakshin Bharat and Uttar Bharat, a campaign, they said, driven by separatists and fundamentalists.
Nationalist forces had alleged that the agenda of fundamentalist Islamic outfits such as PFI, SDPI, and Jamaat-e-Islami was to divide Bharat into pieces before 2047 and turn it into an Islamic state. The agenda of those behind “Cutting South”, they alleged, was to advance this anti-national goal.
Janam TV and Janmabhumi daily had taken a strong stand against the “Cutting South” event when it was being organised in Kochi. As a result, several prominent personalities reportedly withdrew from the programme. Dhanya Rajendran subsequently moved the court against these reports, claiming Rs 2 crore as damages for defamation.
Janam TV reported that it had submitted evidence linking the campaign’s funding to the Deep State mafia, allegedly headed by George Soros.
Janam TV stated that the legal victory in the Delhi High Court is a moral victory. All nationalist organisations had campaigned against the “Cutting South” movement since the organisers began their propaganda for the event.
The Cutting South programme, inaugurated virtually by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, featured Minister P. Rajeev as Chief Guest and Opposition Leader V. D. Satheesan as Special Guest. Kerala Media Academy Chairman R. S. Babu presided over the event.
The Cutting South funding link to Canada has therefore raised serious concerns of illegitimate foreign influence, anti-national propaganda, and FCRA violations, warranting further probe by investigative agencies.
Documents obtained through an RTI reply by Janam TV from the Ministry of External Affairs indicate that organisers of the controversial ‘Cutting South’ event received 4,000 Canadian dollars as sponsorship without the Ministry’s approval, in violation of FCRA norms. The funding was reportedly routed through a sponsorship agreement with the Canadian High Commission.
The principal sponsor of the Cutting South event, held in Kochi in March 2023, was the Kerala Media Academy, a state government-controlled institution. Media houses such as The News Minute and News Laundry were also listed as sponsors, having entered into a 4,000-dollar contract with the Canadian High Commission. The Academy had claimed to have spent ₹44 lakh on the programme, raising questions about the legality of the foreign sponsorship and the role of media partners.
