Prannoy and Radhika Roy, the co-founders of NDTV, were stopped from going abroad on holiday, the news website has posted, calling it an action against 'media to fall in line - or else'.

NDTV called the action 'complete subversion of media freedom'.

'In a complete subversion of basic rights and in shameful continuance of the campaign to warn the media that nothing less than complete obeisance is acceptable, NDTV founders Radhika and Prannoy Roy were today prevented from leaving the country,' the release on ndtv.com said. 'They were scheduled to spend a week abroad and their return was booked for the 15th. They have been stopped on the basis of a fake and wholly unsubstantiated corruption case filed by the CBI about an ICICI loan that was taken by their company, RRPR, which was fully repaid with interest ahead of schedule.'

The website said that the case 'has been challenged by the NDTV founders and their company in the Delhi High Court where the matter has been pending for two years'.

'Radhika and Prannoy Roy have been fully cooperating with the case and they have been travelling abroad regularly and returning to the country so to suggest they are a flight risk is ludicrous,' said the statement. 'The authorities did not inform the court, where the matter is sub-judice, or the Roys, about today's action. It is, along with events like raids on media owners, a warning to the media to fall in line - or else.'

In 2017, the CBI raided the Roys' Greater Kailash home over allegations that they had defaulted on the repayment of an ICICI bank loan worth around Rs 500 crore.

NDTV has denied the charges. The CBI insists it has a strong 'prima facie' case.