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| Type | Newspaper: originallybroadsheet,online only from 1 January 2019 |
|---|---|
| Format | Website |
| Owner(s) | Intermedia Publishing Limited |
| Editor-in-chief | P. Koya |
| Founded | 26 January 2006; 19 years ago (2006-01-26) |
| Political alignment | Popular Front of India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Headquarters | Calicut,Kerala, India |
| Website | www |
| Free online archives | www |
Thejas is aMalayalam languageIndian onlinenews website and formerly anewspaper that was established in 2006. It was initially a morning newspaper published fromCalicut. Owned by Intermedia Publishing, a private limited company in the same city, it is the mouthpiece of thePopular Front of India. The eponymous magazine was the centre of a controversy in 2011 for its pro-bin Laden and pro-Taliban stance. The paper closed down in 2018, leaving only theonline edition and the magazine.[1]
Thejas started publishing fromCalicut (Kozhikode) on theIndian republic day on 26 January 2006. Within a short span of three months it started another edition fromTrivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) followed by the third edition fromKochi within another three months. AlsoKannur edition started in 2008 as part of the expansion. In December 2009, it started itsKottayam edition. It also started an online edition and an e-paper.[2]Thejas started its Gulf editions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam in March 2011.[3] The fourth Gulf Edition started in Doha on 17 May 2012.[4]The fifth Gulf Edition of Thejas was launched in Bahrain on 27 September 2012 by Akhbar Al Khaleej editor-in-chief Anwar Abdulrahman at a ceremony held in Manama.[5]
In October 2018Thejas decided to close its print edition and become anonline newspaper; the last printed edition was published on 31 December 2018. The magazine by the same name however continued operation and is still in print. The management cited the dwindling revenues from advertisements and increasing debts as the reason for closing the print edition.[1]
In 2010, theCommunistgovernment inKerala deniedThejas anyadvertisements, citingintelligence inputs about the nature of the paper's coverage and its alleged attempts to create religious discord in the state. TheCongress-ledUPA government at the Centre followed suit, citing similar reasons.[1]
The 2011 May edition of their magazine calledOsama bin laden a 'martyr' afterhe was killed by the US army.
In October 2013, the district administration ofKozhikode issued a show-cause notice to thenewspaper for spreadinganti-national reports and why thepublication should not be stopped.[6] In March 2014,Kerala Police registered a case againstThejas and some other media organizations, in response to a petition accusing of insulting religious sentiments.[7][8]
