ED questions Zee’s Anurag Bedi in royalty non-payment scam

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday summoned Anurag Bedi, business head, Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd., in connection with the royalty non-payment scam being probed by the agency. ED officials on Friday recorded Mr Bedi’s statement, bringing a new music company under the fold of the investigation.

Mr Bedi was grilled for several hours by ED officials on the lines of not having paid royalty to lyricists and music composers. However, officials remained tightlipped about revelations made by him. Mr Bedi’s questioning comes close on the heels of the grilling of Suresh Srinivasan of

Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL), whose statement was recorded on Tuesday. Sources said that summons was issued to Mr Bedi based on facts that emerged during Mr Srinivasan’s questioning. Last week, PPL and Select Media Holdings Private Ltd. offices were raided and rate cards of around 30,000 establishments - to whom licences had been issued for playing music in lieu of royalty payment - were seized.

Officials also confirmed that Lalit Pandit of Jatin-Lalit fame too met ED officials last week to discuss concerns of artists. Several artists are said to have approached the ED following recent developments in the probe. An ED officer requesting anonymity said, “Not much can be revealed at this state but the role of Zee Music is being looked at in detail.”