New Delhi, May 30
(source : Scroll.in)

Leading Indian news portal Scroll.in has reported that celebrity TV journalists Rajdeep Sardesai and Sagarika Ghose are likely to resign from CNN-IBN by end of June, as Reliance Industries Ltd is taking over the channel's holding company, Network 18.

"They are likely to go on leave from June 1 and resign by June 30, Network 18 officials told Scroll.in. In between, they will sell to Reliance Industries their minority shares in the company," the Scroll.in report said..

Sagarika Ghose, Rajdeep Sardesai Sagarika Ghose, Rajdeep Sardesai

According to the report, Network 18 managing director Raghav Bahl is likely to resign today, May 30.

Scroll.in says while Sardesai and Ghose have offers from other media houses, Network 18 officials denied the rumours doing the rounds in the Delhi media for weeks that they were considering an offer from Focus TV.

The portal says, "While Ghose is reliably learnt to be considering offers from other media organisations, Sardesai is considering taking a break for a year to write a book. The duo haven't had it easy with the management of the channel recently. In February, Scroll.in had reported that the management had asked Ghose to not be critical of Narendra Modi, who was making an ambitious bid for the post of prime minister."

Reliance Industries Ltd. on Thursday said in a press release that they were putting in Rs. 4,000 crores in Independent Media Trust for "acquisition of control in Network 18 Media & Investments Ltd... including its subsidiary TV18 Broadcast Limited... " In other words, Reliance Industries is effecting a management takeover of Network 18, Scroll.in noted.

"The acquisition will differentiate Reliance's 4G business by providing a unique amalgamation at the intersect of telecom, web and digital commerce via a suite of premier digital properties," the Reliance release said. "This suite includes In.com, IBNLive.com, Moneycontrol.com, Firstpost.com, Cricketnext.in, Homeshop18.com, Bookmyshow.com; the broadcast channels include Colors, CNN IBN, CNBC TV18, IBN7, CNBC Awaaz."

The announcement has left Network 18 employees in a state of uncertainty, Scroll.in, quoting sources, said.