National Herald

The National Herald is an Indian newspaper published by The Associated Journals Ltd and owned by Young India Limited a company by Indian National Congress. It was founded by India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938 as a tool to win independence.[4] It was banned by British government in 1942 during the Quit India movement. It was one of the major English language newspapers in India after the end of the British Raj, and occasionally published op-eds authored by Nehru.[5] The newspaper ceased operations in 2008 for financial reasons. In 2016, it was relaunched as a digital publication.[6] The newspaper has been linked to and controlled by members of the Indian National Congress political party.[7][8]

National Herald
Freedom is in Peril, Defend it with All Your Might
TypeDaily
Owner(s)Associated Journals Limited,[1] Shiva Publications
Founder(s)Jawaharlal Nehru
EditorZafar Agha [2]
Founded9 September 1938 (1938-09-09)
Political alignmentIndian National Congress
LanguageEnglish
Relaunched1 June 2017
HeadquartersNew Delhi
CityNew Delhi and Lucknow
CountryIndia
Sister newspapersQaumi Awaz (Urdu) and Navjivan (Hindi)[3]
Websitewww.nationalheraldindia.com

The newspaper is an accused in the National Herald corruption case along with Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi.[9][10]

History

National Herald was established in Lucknow on 9 September 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru.[11][12] The paper carried on its masthead the words 'Freedom is in Peril, Defend it with All Your Might' taken from a cartoon by Gabriel from Brentford, Middlesex that Indira Gandhi had forwarded to Nehru.[13] Jawaharlal Nehru was an early editor of the newspaper and until his appointment as Prime Minister was the Chairman of the Herald's Board of Directors.[14][15] In 1938, K. Rama Rao was appointed the paper's first editor. Following the Quit India Resolution of August 1942, the British Raj clamped down on the Indian press and the paper was shut between 1942 and 1945.[16] The Herald reopened in 1945 and from 1946 to 1950, Feroze Gandhi served as the paper's Managing Director, helping restore its financial health.[17] From 1946 to 1978, Manikonda Chalapathi Rau served as its editor.[16]

Nehru had served as the paper's international correspondent for a while and after becoming Prime Minister was able to use the paper to espouse unpopular views and to sidestep the press corps in conveying his thoughts on various issues to the reading public as in 1954 when he wrote a scathing piece on the Bikini Atoll nuclear tests titled 'The Death-dealer'.[5] The paper had editions from Lucknow and New Delhi, the latter begun in 1968.[16][18] In Delhi, the paper was based out of Herald House on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, known as Delhi's Fleet Street while in Lucknow it was based out of the Nehru Bhawan and Nehru Manzil buildings.[19] The National Herald also had Hindi and Urdu editions named Navjeevan and Qaumi Awaz.[20]

In January 2008 discussions about closure began.[21] On 1 April 2008 the paper's editorial (of its sole remaining edition, New Delhi) announced that it was temporarily suspending operations. The paper had failed to modernise its print technology and had not computerised at the time of suspending operations and had been making losses for several years owing to lack of advertising revenues and overstaffing. At the time of its closure T V Venkitachalam was its editor-in-chief.[12]

Indore Edition

Mumbai based businessman Vishnu Goyal said his involvement with the National Herald dates back to 1998, when Shiva Publications (a partnership firm) bought rights to publishing the National Herald in Indore & Mumbai. Goyal launched the Indore edition in 2009, months after The Associated Journals decided to shut the Herald’s publication subsequent to settling dues of the staff. Designated as Chief Editor of National Herald & Global Herald Newspapers, Goyal is also the Chairman & Managing Director of Alpha Vision Overseas India Ltd, a company listed on the BSE.[22]

Plans for revival

National Herald, before its closure was being run by Associated Journals.[1] There were reports that the paper was being revived under journalist Suman Dubey, technocrat Sam Pitroda and the newly incorporated Young India Company headquartered at Herald House.[23][24] However, Rahul Gandhi, a member on the board of Young Indian Company denied of such movement and mentioned that it is a not-for-profit company and cannot have any profitable business.[25][26]

In March 2016, The Associated Journals Ltd. decided to revive the media outlet in digital form. On 1 October 2016, it announced the appointment of Neelabh Mishra as the Editor in Chief of the National Herald Group.[27] On 14 November 2016, an English website was launched.[28] Simultaneously, it also announced that the print publications under suspension, namely National Herald in English, Navjivan in Hindi and Quami Awaz in Urdu, would be revived in due course. In its press release dated 14 November 2016[29] the National Herald group pledged its commitment to furthering the editorial vision and principles of its founder Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and India’s Freedom Movement – that of building a modern, democratic, just, equitable, liberal and socially harmonious nation.

Official re-launch

On 12 June 2017, Rahul Gandhi re-launched National Herald at an event in Bengaluru. Vice President of India Hamid Ansari was the chief guest and said, "The duty of the state is clear - free media is necessary for free society. When faced with unjust restrictions, censorship in the media can aid covering of abuses.".[4]

Commemorative edition

The commemorative edition of National Herald was launched on 1 July 2017, by the then President of India Pranab Mukherjee.[30]

Controversies
See also: National Herald case

The National Herald corruption case is an ongoing case in a Delhi court filed by Indian economist and politician Subramanian Swamy against politicians Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, their companies and associated persons.[9] As per the complaint filed in the court of the Metropolitan Magistrate, Associated Journals Limited (AJL) took an interest-free loan of ₹90.25 crore (US$13 million) from Indian National Congress. It is alleged that the loan was not repaid.[31] A closely held company, Young Indian, was incorporated in November 2010 with a capital of ₹50 lakh (US$70,000) and it acquired almost all the shareholding of AJL and all its properties (alleged to be worth ₹5,000 crore (US$700 million)).[32][33]

A defamation suit of Rs 5000 crore was filed by Reliance Group, against National Herald claiming an article published by it was "libellous and derogatory".[34][35]

References
  1. Court dismisses Swamy’s plea in National Herald case
  2. "About Us | National Herald, the Associated Journals Ltd".
  3. "About Us | National Herald, the Associated Journals Ltd".
  4. Rahul Gandhi In Bengaluru For Re-Launch Of National Herald
  5. Vadakut, Sidin (27 June 2014). "A Nehruvian tragedy". HT Mint. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  6. Congress set to revive National Herald newspaper after 8-year break
  7. Real estate at core of Associated Journals controversy, Live Mint, 14 November 2012
  8. What is the National Herald case all about?, India Today, 8 December 2015
  9. Gupta, Smita; Jain, Akanksha (27 June 2014), "Delhi court summons Sonia, Rahul in National Herald case", The Hindu
  10. "How National Herald newspaper funds Rahul and Sonia Gandhi's Young Indian", Daily News and Analysis, New Delhi, 2 July 2014
  11. Addresses the event to launch commemorative edition of National Herald
  12. "National Herald shuts down after 70 years". Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  13. Hasan, Mushirul (16 May 2012). "In another era, a wit that pulled no punches". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012.
  14. Rau, M. Chalapathi (1964). "The Press after Nehru" (PDF). Economic and Political Weekly (July): 1247–1250. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2014.
  15. Dayal, John (2007). A Matter of Equity: Freedom of Faith in Secular India. New Delhi: Anamika Publishers. p. 129. ISBN 9788179751770.
  16. "In Memorium M. Chalapathi Rau (1908 - 1983)". Archived from the original on 26 June 2014.
  17. Bhushan, Shashi (2008). Feroze Gandhi: A Political Biography. New Delhi: Frank Bros. p. 52. ISBN 9788184094947.
  18. General Knowledge Refresher. New Delhi: Bright Publications. p. 51. ISBN 9788171994717.
  19. "National Herald fights for survival". The Indian Express. 14 November 1998. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  20. "New look national herald all set for relaunch". Hindustan Times. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  21. "Nehru's paper, The National Herald, may close". Hindustan Times. 31 January 2008. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014.
  22. Subramanian, N. Sundaresha (16 December 2015). "National Herald's Indore owner says will join Swamy's case". Business Standard India.
  23. "National Herald may be revived through 'Young Indian'". Business Standard. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  24. "New look national herald all set for relaunch". Office of Adviser to Prime Minister. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  25. "National Herald newspaper eyes revival after four years of closure". NDTV Profit. 28 October 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  26. "No plans to revive National Herald". The Pioneer. 11 October 2012. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012.
  27. Correspondent, Special. "Neelabh Mishra to be editor of National Herald". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  28. "Tribute to Jawaharlal Nehru- National Herald revived in digital form - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  29. "National Herald revival on Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru birth anniversary". The Asian Age. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  30. President Pranab Mukherjee talks about spate of lynchings at National Herald event
  31. "Section 269T in The Income- Tax Act, 1995", indiankanoon.org, retrieved 8 December 2015
  32. Rajagopal, Krishnadas (10 December 2015). "The nitty-gritty of 'The National Herald' case". The Hindu.
  33. "Deals at National Herald: Who got what, when, how". The Indian Express. 10 December 2015.
  34. "Rafale Row: Anil Ambani Sues National Herald for Rs 5k Crore". The Quint. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  35. "Anil Ambani Files Rs 5,000 Crore Defamation Suit Against 'National Herald'". Headlines Today. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
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