The Hindu forgoes ad revenue for controversial Dera Sacha Sauda ad

Days after apologising for carrying a front-page advertisement that defended convicted rapist Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, The Hindu today issued a statement announcing that it would not raise a bill for the publication of the advertisement in its Delhi, Mohali and North India editions.

The newspaper said, “In keeping with the spirit of the Apology published on September 13, The Hindu has decided not to raise a bill for the publication on September 12 of the offensive front-page advertisement titled ‘What is Dera Sacha Sauda? (Facts vs Fiction)’ in the newspaper’s Delhi, Mohali, and North India editions.

Even if it is essentially symbolic, this decision makes it clear that The Hindu does not wish to derive any commercial benefit from the publication of an advertisement for which it has expressed unqualified deep regret.”

Read: The Hindu's Dera Ad Row: Can a disclaimer soften Front Page blow?

On Saturday, September 12, much of that space in The Hindu's Delhi, Mohali and North India editions was occupied by a full-page advertisement for Dera Sacha Sauda.

Titled “What is Dera Sacha Sauda? (Facts vs Fiction)”, the advertisement ran almost the entire length of Page 1 beneath The Hindu masthead. A small label at the top identified it as an “ADVERTISEMENT.”

What followed was not a conventional institutional advertisement.

The page sought to counter criticism surrounding Dera Sacha Sauda and its chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. One prominent section posed the question “Was there a conspiracy against Guru Ji?” and answered: “Yes, absolutely.” It went on to allege that people opposed to the Dera had attempted to implicate Singh through false witnesses. Another section defended the parole and furlough granted to him, while large portions of the advertisement highlighted the organisation's claims around de-addiction, blood donation, tree planting, cleanliness drives and housing for the poor.

The advertisement subsequently generated significant criticism and, a day later, The Hindu itself described it as ‘deeply offensive’ while tendering an unconditional apology.