NDTV co-founders Prannoy and Radhika Roy were stopped from flying abroad by authorities at Mumbai airport on Friday.

According to sources, the airport authorities did not let the two fly as per a request filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Prannoy and Radhika Roy are being investigated by the CBI in a money laundering case.

Issuing a statement on the incident, the media company termed it "complete subversion of media freedom".

In a complete subversion of basic rights, NDTV founders Radhika and Prannoy Roy were today prevented from leaving the country," NDTV said in a series of tweets.

"Both journalists had tickets to return to India on the 16th, just a week later. They have been stopped from traveling abroad on the basis of a fake and wholly unsubstantiated corruption case initiated by the CBI that was filed two years ago," it said.

"...and in which Radhika and Prannoy Roy have been fully cooperating. Today’s action is, along with events like raids on media owners, a warning to the media to fall in line- or else.