JioStar piracy complaint triggers Haryana police raid on Sonipat cable operator

Haryana Police have registered an FIR and seized transmission equipment from an alleged cable piracy operation in Sonipat’s Ganaur area after a complaint by JioStar India Pvt. Ltd., and are now pursuing a wider investigation into unauthorized redistribution of its pay TV channels.

Police action and legal basis
Haryana Police registered an FIR on July 6 at Ganaur Police Station under Section 303 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Section 63 of the Copyright Act, 1957, based on a complaint by JioStar India Pvt. Ltd. The complaint alleged illegal sourcing and redistribution of encrypted JioStar signals by a local cable network in Sonipat district.

Acting on the complaint, a police team conducted a raid at the operator’s premises in Bajana Kalan village on July 6, accompanied by JioStar representatives. Officers reported that an individual at the site allegedly disconnected cables when the team arrived, causing transmission to stop, which has been recorded in the case file as part of the chain of evidence.

Allegations against Jai Durga Digital Network
The case centres on Jai Durga Digital Network (JDDN), operated by Sandeep Kadyan, which was earlier an authorized distributor of JioStar channels before its agreement was terminated in September 2025 over alleged contractual and regulatory violations. JioStar has alleged that despite termination, JDDN continued to retransmit its channels without authorization across its local cable network.

According to the complaint, JDDN allegedly sourced JioStar channels using consumer DTH set-top boxes and then fed those signals into its cable headend for commercial redistribution, bypassing any valid distribution agreement or licensing framework. The broadcaster has characterized this as willful signal piracy and unlawful commercial exploitation of encrypted DTH services meant only for individual subscribers.

Evidence submitted by JioStar
JioStar submitted electronic evidence including a video recorded on June 11, 2026, which allegedly shows multiple JioStar channels being carried with both the consumer DTH on-screen fingerprints and the Jai Durga Digital Network logo visible simultaneously. The broadcaster has argued that this overlay of DTH fingerprints and the JDDN logo demonstrates that retail DTH feeds were being captured and redistributed as a cable service, infringing its copyright and broadcast reproduction rights.

During the raid, police and broadcaster representatives allegedly found active network equipment used for signal transmission at the JDDN premises. Investigators have recorded that the accused could not produce any valid documentation authorizing retransmission of JioStar channels at the time of inspection.

Seizures and next steps
Police have seized multiple pieces of optical transmission equipment, including devices from Catvision, Esquire Optical and Altis Optical, as material evidence in the case. These devices are believed to have been used to carry JioStar’s signals over the local cable network in Sonipat’s Bajana Kalan and adjoining areas.

Based on the complaint, video evidence and seizure from the raid, investigators have concluded that a prima facie case of signal piracy and copyright infringement is made out, and further investigation is underway to map the subscriber base and any wider network linkages. The case adds to a series of recent anti-piracy actions spearheaded by JioStar in different states, including crackdowns on illegal cable and IPTV networks.
BCS Bureau