Grievance Redressal
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Under Part III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, Sateek Bharat has set up this mechanism for complaints about the content we publish, and has appointed a Grievance Officer based in India.
Grievance Officer
The Grievance Officer is the contact point for every complaint about the Code of Ethics, and the nodal point for dealing with complainants, the self-regulating body and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
What you can complain about
If you believe a story, article, photograph or video published on Sateek Bharat breaks the Code of Ethics for digital news publishers, you can file a complaint. The Code of Ethics is made up of:
- the Norms of Journalistic Conduct of the Press Council of India under the Press Council Act, 1978;
- the Programme Code under section 5 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995;
- a ban on publishing any content that is prohibited under any law in force.
To correct a simple factual error, you can also write directly to our corrections desk. Complaints about personal data are handled as explained in our Privacy Policy.
How to file a complaint
Email grievance@sateekbharat.in with:
- your full name, email address and, if you wish, your mobile number;
- the link (URL), headline and publication date of the content you are complaining about;
- the part of the content you object to;
- why you object: which part of the Code of Ethics you believe has been broken;
- what you would like us to do, such as correct it, clarify it, add your side or remove it;
- any documents or evidence you have. If you are complaining on someone else's behalf, also tell us your relationship to them or send their authorisation.
Complaints about readers' comments
For readers' comments under our stories, we act as an intermediary. If you object to a comment, tap ⋯ next to it and then Report, or email grievance@sateekbharat.in with the story's link, the commenter's name and the text of the comment. A comment is hidden until it is reviewed when three readers report it, or when one reader reports it for private or obscene content about someone. See our comment rules.
Timelines for complaints about comments, under rules 3(2)(a) and 3(2)(b) of the IT Rules, 2021 (as amended in February 2026):
| Complaint | Timeline |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgement of your complaint | Within 24 hours |
| Content that exposes a person's private parts, shows them fully or partly nude or in a sexual act, or impersonates them, including morphed images | Removed within 2 hours |
| A request to remove a comment that is obscene, invades privacy, harasses, spreads hatred, promotes gambling or unlawful online games, is harmful to children, is false or misleading, impersonates someone, threatens India's security or public order, or contains malicious code | Resolved within 36 hours |
| Any other complaint about a comment, including copyright claims | Resolved within 7 days |
If you are not satisfied with our decision on a complaint about a comment, or it is not resolved in time, you can appeal to the Grievance Appellate Committee at gac.gov.in within 30 days (rule 3A).
The process and timelines below are for complaints about our own stories and articles.
Process and timelines
| Stage | What happens | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgement | We confirm we have received your complaint and give you a complaint number. | Within 24 hours |
| Decision (Level I) | The Grievance Officer decides on your complaint and tells you the decision in writing. | Within 15 days of the complaint being registered |
| Appeal (Level II) | If you are not satisfied with our decision, or do not receive one within 15 days, the matter goes to the self-regulating body we are a member of. That body also decides within 15 days. | Appeal within 15 days of receiving our decision |
| Appeal (Level III) | If you are not satisfied with the self-regulating body's decision, you can appeal to the Oversight Mechanism of the Central Government (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting). | Within 15 days of that decision |
Self-regulating body (Level II): details of our membership will be published here.
Our commitments
- Every complaint is examined fairly, and we give you the reasons for our decision in writing.
- If a complaint is upheld, we correct or clarify the content, add your side, or take other suitable action, and let you know.
- Your personal data is used only to resolve your complaint. In an appeal, only the necessary details may be shared with the self-regulating body or the Ministry.
- Each month we publish the number of complaints received and the action taken in our Monthly Compliance Report.
- As rule 19(3) requires, we keep a record of the content we publish for at least 60 days.
Government and court orders
We comply with valid orders of competent authorities and courts, and the number of such orders is included in the monthly report. Send legal notices to legal@sateekbharat.in.