The Delhi Police on Friday sealed the office of news agency United News of India (UNI) at 9 Rafi Marg for allegedly violating the conditions of its land allotment.
The move came a day after the Delhi High Court upheld the decision of the Land and Development Office (L&DO) to cancel the allotment of government land to UNI for the development of a composite office complex for media institutions.
UNI had failed to construct the office over the past 40 years, despite multiple reminders, in violation of the terms specified in the allotment letter. The L&DO, under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, cancelled the allotment on March 29, 2023, after issuing a showcause notice on January 12 of the same year.
The news agency challenged the cancellation in court, but the high court rejected its claims that delays were due to financial constraints and pending approvals, clearing the way for authorities to take possession of the premises.
The court noted that despite multiple extensions, UNI did not finalise plans, enter agreements with co-allottees, or initiate development. It also cited UNI’s admission of financial incapacity and lack of intent. The court found that the agency had committed a fundamental breach of the allotment conditions by failing to construct the building for more than four decades.
The land, measuring approximately 5,289.52 sq. metres at 9 Rafi Marg, is valued at an estimated Rs 409 crore at the prevailing indicative rate of Rs 7.74 lakh per sq. metre, highlighting the significant public value of the asset, PTI reported quoting officials.
Concerns over media freedom
In a post on X, the agency said the police action has raised serious concerns over press freedom. In a video shared on X, a woman journalist is seen allegedly being manhandled by police, causing her to lose balance and fall. The agency also claimed that some police personnel were intoxicated while on duty.
The current owner of UNI, Statesman, condemned the action in a post on X, stating that employees were not given adequate time to collect their belongings or hear from management. Statesman described the incident as “an unprecedented atrocity and attack on media freedom in India,” adding that the police operation at the Rafi Marg office resembled a forceful anti-terror operation.
Communist Party of India (CPI) MP P. Sandosh Kumar condemned the sealing of the UNI office and called it an assault on press freedom.
"The forcible takeover of the Rafi Marg office of United News of India (UNI)—the oldest news agency in the country—by the Delhi Police is a grave and unprecedented assault on press freedom," Kumar said.
"Journalists were dragged and manhandled; even women journalists were not spared. The employees were denied the basic opportunity to collect their belongings or hear from the management. The entire operation was carried out with shocking disregard for legality, dignity and democratic norms," he alleged.