News Analysis India

Tag: Press freedom

  • Journalist bodies condemn Newsclick raids, say they are to divert attention from burning issues

    By Online Desk

    The National Alliance of Journalists, the Delhi Union of Journalists and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (Delhi Unit) issued a joint statement on Tuesday condemning the Delhi Police raids on news portal NewsClick, its scribes, as well as activists. Staffers across designations as well as contributors were raided.

    It said that the residences of Bhasha Singh, Urmilesh, Prabir Purkayastha, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Abhisar Sharma, Aunindyo Chakraborty, Mahesh Kumar, Subodh Varma, Aditi Nigam, Mukund Jha, and many others were raided this morning. The statement claimed that several of the mediapersons were also taken into custody.

    The residences of activist Teesta Setalvad and Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, too, were raided.

    “The government has been targeting Newsclick apparently after the coverage this news portal gave to the issues of workers and farmers,” the statement alleged.

    “We believe that this is yet another attempt by the Centre to muzzle the freedom of press. Such an action, raiding and intimidating almost all the employees in a media organisation is unheard of,” it said.

    Journalists Pranjoy Guha Thakurata and Urmilesh being taken to Lodhi Road Special Cell office, in New Delhi, on Oct. 3, 2023. (PTI)

    The statement by the journalist bodies also noted that the Newsclick management has been maintaining that whatever funding they have received was through legal sources and that the evidence for this has been submitted to the Delhi High Court.

    “These new raids are to divert public attention from burning livelihood issues of people. We condemn this with the strongest possible words. We will stand with these journalists in this matter. We urge the Centre to immediately stop this attack on press freedom. We urge the media fraternity to protest against this witch-hunt by the government,” the statement said.

    Meanwhile, the Press Club of India has demanded the Centre to come out with details of the investigation. “The Press Club of India is deeply concerned about the multiple raids conducted on the houses of journalists and writers associated with #Newsclick. We are monitoring the developments and will be releasing a detailed statement,” the journalists’ body wrote on X.

    The Network of Women in Media, India Journalists, termed the police action “shocking”, and said on X that “activists and artists who speak truth to power are being unrelentingly harassed and persecuted by the government, while pliant and sycophantic mediapersons and media houses are being nurtured. This campaign to quell dissent has to stop.”

    ALSO READ | Raids on NewsClick journos, a distraction from ‘explosive’ findings of Bihar caste survey: Congress

    Raids at 30 locations across NCR

    Sources informed TNIE that searches are being made by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell at more than 30 locations across the NCR, including the office of NewsClick, while its journalists are being questioned and their mobile phones and laptops have been seized by the cops.

    Police have recovered dumped data from the seized laptops and phones.

    The Special Cell has reportedly filed a new case under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, following allegations that the news portal received money for pro-China propaganda.

    Sources told TNIE that the Special Cell has formed a list of at least 25 questions which they are asking the detained journalists. The questions pertain to anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh, Farmers’ Protest, North East Delhi riots and even details of their foreign travels. 

    There is no confirmation yet of arrests made so far in the searches concentrated in the Delhi-NCR region.

    A police personnel arrives at the office of NewsClick at Saket during raids by Delhi Police’s Special Cell on its premises, in New Delhi, on Oct. 3, 2023. (PTI)

    Background

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier raided the firm’s premises probing its sources of funding. The Special Cell is conducting raids on the basis of inputs provided by the central agency.

    The ED had registered a case against the news portal and alleged that NewsClick received foreign funding in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The agency had also alleged that the money was used for anti-national activities.

    On August 5, The New York Times published a report titled “A Global Web of Chinese Propaganda Leads to a US Tech Mogul” which claimed that NewsClick was part of a global network that received funding from American millionaire Neville Roy Singham, who allegedly works closely with the Chinese government media and promoted its point of view in various countries.

    Following the NYT report, NewsClick had issued a statement remarking that the allegations made against the organisation were “unfounded and without basis in fact or law.”

    (With inputs from Ujwal Jalali and PTI)

    The National Alliance of Journalists, the Delhi Union of Journalists and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (Delhi Unit) issued a joint statement on Tuesday condemning the Delhi Police raids on news portal NewsClick, its scribes, as well as activists. Staffers across designations as well as contributors were raided.

    It said that the residences of Bhasha Singh, Urmilesh, Prabir Purkayastha, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Abhisar Sharma, Aunindyo Chakraborty, Mahesh Kumar, Subodh Varma, Aditi Nigam, Mukund Jha, and many others were raided this morning. The statement claimed that several of the mediapersons were also taken into custody.

    The residences of activist Teesta Setalvad and Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, too, were raided.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    “The government has been targeting Newsclick apparently after the coverage this news portal gave to the issues of workers and farmers,” the statement alleged.

    “We believe that this is yet another attempt by the Centre to muzzle the freedom of press. Such an action, raiding and intimidating almost all the employees in a media organisation is unheard of,” it said.

    Journalists Pranjoy Guha Thakurata and Urmilesh being taken to Lodhi Road Special Cell office, in New Delhi, on Oct. 3, 2023. (PTI)

    The statement by the journalist bodies also noted that the Newsclick management has been maintaining that whatever funding they have received was through legal sources and that the evidence for this has been submitted to the Delhi High Court.

    “These new raids are to divert public attention from burning livelihood issues of people. We condemn this with the strongest possible words. We will stand with these journalists in this matter. We urge the Centre to immediately stop this attack on press freedom. We urge the media fraternity to protest against this witch-hunt by the government,” the statement said.

    Meanwhile, the Press Club of India has demanded the Centre to come out with details of the investigation. “The Press Club of India is deeply concerned about the multiple raids conducted on the houses of journalists and writers associated with #Newsclick. We are monitoring the developments and will be releasing a detailed statement,” the journalists’ body wrote on X.

    The Network of Women in Media, India Journalists, termed the police action “shocking”, and said on X that “activists and artists who speak truth to power are being unrelentingly harassed and persecuted by the government, while pliant and sycophantic mediapersons and media houses are being nurtured. This campaign to quell dissent has to stop.”

    ALSO READ | Raids on NewsClick journos, a distraction from ‘explosive’ findings of Bihar caste survey: Congress

    Raids at 30 locations across NCR

    Sources informed TNIE that searches are being made by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell at more than 30 locations across the NCR, including the office of NewsClick, while its journalists are being questioned and their mobile phones and laptops have been seized by the cops.

    Police have recovered dumped data from the seized laptops and phones.

    The Special Cell has reportedly filed a new case under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, following allegations that the news portal received money for pro-China propaganda.

    Sources told TNIE that the Special Cell has formed a list of at least 25 questions which they are asking the detained journalists. The questions pertain to anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh, Farmers’ Protest, North East Delhi riots and even details of their foreign travels. 

    There is no confirmation yet of arrests made so far in the searches concentrated in the Delhi-NCR region.

    A police personnel arrives at the office of NewsClick at Saket during raids by Delhi Police’s Special Cell on its premises, in New Delhi, on Oct. 3, 2023. (PTI)

    Background

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier raided the firm’s premises probing its sources of funding. The Special Cell is conducting raids on the basis of inputs provided by the central agency.

    The ED had registered a case against the news portal and alleged that NewsClick received foreign funding in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The agency had also alleged that the money was used for anti-national activities.

    On August 5, The New York Times published a report titled “A Global Web of Chinese Propaganda Leads to a US Tech Mogul” which claimed that NewsClick was part of a global network that received funding from American millionaire Neville Roy Singham, who allegedly works closely with the Chinese government media and promoted its point of view in various countries.

    Following the NYT report, NewsClick had issued a statement remarking that the allegations made against the organisation were “unfounded and without basis in fact or law.”

    (With inputs from Ujwal Jalali and PTI)

  • SC quashes Centre’s ban on news channel MediaOne, says independent press necessary

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: India’s top court on Wednesday quashed the Centre’s denial of security clearance to Malayalam news channel MediaOne, and ruled that criticism of a government cannot be grounds to revoke the license of a media or television channel.

    The Supreme Court was hearing the plea of the news channel against the Kerala High Court’s order which had upheld the Centre’s decision to ban its telecast on security grounds.

    A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud pulled up the Ministry of Home Affairs for invoking national security, stating, “State is using plea of national security to deny rights of citizens. This is incompatible with rule of law. National security claims can’t be made out of thin air.”  

    The court also said that non-disclosure of reasons for the denial of security clearance by MHA and disclosure only to the court in a “sealed cover” violated the principles of natural justice and the right to fair proceedings, leaving the company “in the dark to fight out.”

    Laying down comprehensive guidelines for courts adopting ‘sealed cover’ procedure during hearing matters relating to national security, the bench said, “Sealed cover procedure cannot be introduced to cover harms that cannot be remedied by public immunity proceedings… Principles of natural justice may be excluded when the interests of national security outweigh. But a blanket immunity from disclosure cannot be granted… Sealed cover procedure infringes the principles of natural justice and open justice.” 

    The bench further ruled that MHA’s reliance on the channel’s report on the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, the National Register of Citizens (NRC), criticism of the judiciary and State for terming the channel as “anti-establishment” was not justified.

    “All investigation reports cannot be termed secret as these affect the rights and liberty of the citizens,” the bench said. 

    The court also said that the press has a duty to speak truth to power and inform citizens about hard facts.

    “The critical views of the channel against the govt policies cannot be termed as anti-establishment. This view presumes that the press should always support the govt. An independent press is necessary for a robust democracy. The criticism of the policies of the govt cannot be stretched to mean any of the grounds under Article 19(2) which can restrict free speech,” the court said. 

    What the top court said:

    Kerala HC’s order upholding Centre’s decision to ban ‘MediaOne’ telecast on security grounds.
    An independent press is necessary for a robust democracy.
    Critical views of MediaOne channel against govt policies can’t be termed anti-establishment.
    National security claims cannot be made out of thin air, there must be material facts backing it.

    NEW DELHI: India’s top court on Wednesday quashed the Centre’s denial of security clearance to Malayalam news channel MediaOne, and ruled that criticism of a government cannot be grounds to revoke the license of a media or television channel.

    The Supreme Court was hearing the plea of the news channel against the Kerala High Court’s order which had upheld the Centre’s decision to ban its telecast on security grounds.

    A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud pulled up the Ministry of Home Affairs for invoking national security, stating, “State is using plea of national security to deny rights of citizens. This is incompatible with rule of law. National security claims can’t be made out of thin air.”  googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The court also said that non-disclosure of reasons for the denial of security clearance by MHA and disclosure only to the court in a “sealed cover” violated the principles of natural justice and the right to fair proceedings, leaving the company “in the dark to fight out.”

    Laying down comprehensive guidelines for courts adopting ‘sealed cover’ procedure during hearing matters relating to national security, the bench said, “Sealed cover procedure cannot be introduced to cover harms that cannot be remedied by public immunity proceedings… Principles of natural justice may be excluded when the interests of national security outweigh. But a blanket immunity from disclosure cannot be granted… Sealed cover procedure infringes the principles of natural justice and open justice.” 

    The bench further ruled that MHA’s reliance on the channel’s report on the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, the National Register of Citizens (NRC), criticism of the judiciary and State for terming the channel as “anti-establishment” was not justified.

    “All investigation reports cannot be termed secret as these affect the rights and liberty of the citizens,” the bench said. 

    The court also said that the press has a duty to speak truth to power and inform citizens about hard facts.

    “The critical views of the channel against the govt policies cannot be termed as anti-establishment. This view presumes that the press should always support the govt. An independent press is necessary for a robust democracy. The criticism of the policies of the govt cannot be stretched to mean any of the grounds under Article 19(2) which can restrict free speech,” the court said. 

    What the top court said:

    Kerala HC’s order upholding Centre’s decision to ban ‘MediaOne’ telecast on security grounds.
    An independent press is necessary for a robust democracy.
    Critical views of MediaOne channel against govt policies can’t be termed anti-establishment.
    National security claims cannot be made out of thin air, there must be material facts backing it.

  • German ballet director suspended over feces attack on critic

    By Associated Press

    BERLIN: A German newspaper critic had animal feces smeared on her face in the city of Hannover by a ballet director who apparently took offense at a review she wrote.

    The Hannover state opera house apologized for the incident and said Monday that it was suspending ballet director Marco Goecke with immediate effect.

    The daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that a furious Goecke approached its dance critic, Wiebke Huester, during the interval of a premiere at Hannover’s opera house on Saturday and asked what she was doing there. It said that the two didn’t know each other personally.

    The newspaper said that Goecke, who apparently felt provoked by a recent review she wrote of a production he staged in the Dutch seat of government, The Hague, threatened to ban her from the ballet and accused her of being responsible for people canceling season tickets in Hannover.

    He then pulled out a paper bag with animal feces and smeared her face with the contents before making off through a packed theater foyer, the newspaper said. Huester identified the substance as dog feces and said she had filed a criminal complaint, German news agency dpa reported.

    In a statement on its website, the opera house said Huester’s “personal integrity” was violated “in an unspeakable way.” It said that it contacted her immediately after the incident to apologize.

    The opera house said that Goecke’s “impulsive reaction” violated the ground rules of the theater and that “he caused massive damage to the Hannover State Opera and State Ballet.” As a result, it said, he is being suspended and banned from the opera house until further notice.

    Goecke has been given the next few days to apologize “comprehensively” and explain himself to theater management “before further steps are announced,” it added.

    The ballet director appeared at least partly unrepentant, however. In an interview with public broadcaster NDR, Goecke acknowledged that his “choice of means wasn’t super, absolutely.”

    “Of course socially that is also certainly not recognized or respected, if one resorts to such means,” he said of the attack, adding that he had never done anything like that before and was “a bit shocked at myself.”

    Goecke said that while having his work “soiled for years” was a price he had been told he had to pay for being in the public eye, there was a limit.

    “Once a certain point has been reached, I disagree,” he said.

    The German journalists’ association DJV denounced the attack.

    “An artist must tolerate criticism, even if it seems exaggerated,” the union’s regional head in Lower Saxony state, Frank Rieger, said. “Whoever reacts violently to criticism is unacceptable. The attack on the … journalist is also an attack on press freedom.”

    BERLIN: A German newspaper critic had animal feces smeared on her face in the city of Hannover by a ballet director who apparently took offense at a review she wrote.

    The Hannover state opera house apologized for the incident and said Monday that it was suspending ballet director Marco Goecke with immediate effect.

    The daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that a furious Goecke approached its dance critic, Wiebke Huester, during the interval of a premiere at Hannover’s opera house on Saturday and asked what she was doing there. It said that the two didn’t know each other personally.

    The newspaper said that Goecke, who apparently felt provoked by a recent review she wrote of a production he staged in the Dutch seat of government, The Hague, threatened to ban her from the ballet and accused her of being responsible for people canceling season tickets in Hannover.

    He then pulled out a paper bag with animal feces and smeared her face with the contents before making off through a packed theater foyer, the newspaper said. Huester identified the substance as dog feces and said she had filed a criminal complaint, German news agency dpa reported.

    In a statement on its website, the opera house said Huester’s “personal integrity” was violated “in an unspeakable way.” It said that it contacted her immediately after the incident to apologize.

    The opera house said that Goecke’s “impulsive reaction” violated the ground rules of the theater and that “he caused massive damage to the Hannover State Opera and State Ballet.” As a result, it said, he is being suspended and banned from the opera house until further notice.

    Goecke has been given the next few days to apologize “comprehensively” and explain himself to theater management “before further steps are announced,” it added.

    The ballet director appeared at least partly unrepentant, however. In an interview with public broadcaster NDR, Goecke acknowledged that his “choice of means wasn’t super, absolutely.”

    “Of course socially that is also certainly not recognized or respected, if one resorts to such means,” he said of the attack, adding that he had never done anything like that before and was “a bit shocked at myself.”

    Goecke said that while having his work “soiled for years” was a price he had been told he had to pay for being in the public eye, there was a limit.

    “Once a certain point has been reached, I disagree,” he said.

    The German journalists’ association DJV denounced the attack.

    “An artist must tolerate criticism, even if it seems exaggerated,” the union’s regional head in Lower Saxony state, Frank Rieger, said. “Whoever reacts violently to criticism is unacceptable. The attack on the … journalist is also an attack on press freedom.”

  • ‘Journalists are not terrorists’ says SC, deprecates arrest of scribe from bedroom at midnight

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: “Journalists are not terrorists”, the Supreme Court said on Monday, as it deprecated the Jharkhand police knocking on the door of a scribe of a local Hindi news channel at midnight and dragging him out of his bedroom before placing him under arrest in an extortion case.

    Calling the police action “excesses of the state”, the top court said it seems that “complete lawlessness” is prevailing in Jharkhand.

    A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli refused to interfere with an order of the Jharkhand High Court granting interim bail to the journalist and said it will not entertain the state’s appeal.

    “We have seen the facts of the case. These are all excesses of the State and it seems complete lawlessness is prevailing in Jharkhand. No, we are not going to interfere with the High Court order.”

    “You knock at the door of a journalist at midnight and pull him out from his bedroom. This is too much. You are dealing with a person who is a journalist and journalists are not terrorists,” the bench told Jharkhand’s additional advocate general Arunabh Choudhary, voicing strong displeasure over the incident.

    The top court said the high court rightly granted interim bail to the journalist by a detailed order which does not warrant any interference.

    “Sorry, we are not going to entertain your plea. Since it is an interim order and matter is pending there, you go and convince the High Court,” the judges told Choudhary and disposed of the plea.

    Choudhary alleged journalist Arup Chatterjee was involved in blackmail and extortion activities and a criminal case had been lodged against him.

    When the bench asked him about how long Chatterjee was lodged in jail, Choudhary said he was there for two to three days.

    “He is lucky that he was out in three days as many people like him have to spend two-three months in jail (before being enlarged on bail),” the bench said.

    The Jharkhand government had approached the top court against the bail granted to Chatterjee by the high court on July 19.

    The Jharkhand High Court, while granting interim bail to Chatterjee on a plea field by his wife, had said after getting a response from the State to her plea the court will consider if senior Dhanbad police officials including the SP are required to be issued notices for contempt of court in the light of the apex court’s observations in Arnesh Kumar (2014) and DK Basu (1997) judgements in which guidelines had been laid down for the arrest of individuals.

    Baby Chatterjee, the wife of Arup Chatterjee who is a director at the channel, had moved the high court, claiming her husband was arrested at 12:20 am on the intervening night of July 16-17, 2022 from their Ranchi apartment in violation of the provisions of the CrPC.

    The high court had said in its order, “Prima facie, it appears that the procedure prescribed under Sections 80 and 81 CrPC has not been followed in the case in hand.

    These two provisions provide that once the arrest is made beyond 30 Kms of the concerned court, the local Magistrate and the police are required to be informed, which has not been done in the case in hand.

    “Moreover, the arrest has been made after the sunset and that too from the bedroom of Arup Chatterjee, who is accused. This is again in violation of the guidelines of the judgment (of the apex court)”.

    The high court had also said that prima facie it appears the directions of the Supreme Court in the case of Arnesh Kumar and D.K.Basu had not been followed.

    In those cases, the Supreme Court had gone to the extent of ruling that if the directions were not followed by police officials, contempt proceedings can be initiated against the erring officer(s) in the high court having territorial jurisdiction.

    “The petitioner (Arup Chatterjee) has been arrested without following the procedure prescribed under Sections 80 and 81 CrPC and not produced before the court of any Magistrate at Ranchi. It appears that the procedure prescribed under CrPC has been violated”, the Jharkhand High Court held.

    Chatterjee was arrested by Dhanbad police in a case registered at Govind Pur police station for alleged extortion.

    NEW DELHI: “Journalists are not terrorists”, the Supreme Court said on Monday, as it deprecated the Jharkhand police knocking on the door of a scribe of a local Hindi news channel at midnight and dragging him out of his bedroom before placing him under arrest in an extortion case.

    Calling the police action “excesses of the state”, the top court said it seems that “complete lawlessness” is prevailing in Jharkhand.

    A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli refused to interfere with an order of the Jharkhand High Court granting interim bail to the journalist and said it will not entertain the state’s appeal.

    “We have seen the facts of the case. These are all excesses of the State and it seems complete lawlessness is prevailing in Jharkhand. No, we are not going to interfere with the High Court order.”

    “You knock at the door of a journalist at midnight and pull him out from his bedroom. This is too much. You are dealing with a person who is a journalist and journalists are not terrorists,” the bench told Jharkhand’s additional advocate general Arunabh Choudhary, voicing strong displeasure over the incident.

    The top court said the high court rightly granted interim bail to the journalist by a detailed order which does not warrant any interference.

    “Sorry, we are not going to entertain your plea. Since it is an interim order and matter is pending there, you go and convince the High Court,” the judges told Choudhary and disposed of the plea.

    Choudhary alleged journalist Arup Chatterjee was involved in blackmail and extortion activities and a criminal case had been lodged against him.

    When the bench asked him about how long Chatterjee was lodged in jail, Choudhary said he was there for two to three days.

    “He is lucky that he was out in three days as many people like him have to spend two-three months in jail (before being enlarged on bail),” the bench said.

    The Jharkhand government had approached the top court against the bail granted to Chatterjee by the high court on July 19.

    The Jharkhand High Court, while granting interim bail to Chatterjee on a plea field by his wife, had said after getting a response from the State to her plea the court will consider if senior Dhanbad police officials including the SP are required to be issued notices for contempt of court in the light of the apex court’s observations in Arnesh Kumar (2014) and DK Basu (1997) judgements in which guidelines had been laid down for the arrest of individuals.

    Baby Chatterjee, the wife of Arup Chatterjee who is a director at the channel, had moved the high court, claiming her husband was arrested at 12:20 am on the intervening night of July 16-17, 2022 from their Ranchi apartment in violation of the provisions of the CrPC.

    The high court had said in its order, “Prima facie, it appears that the procedure prescribed under Sections 80 and 81 CrPC has not been followed in the case in hand.

    These two provisions provide that once the arrest is made beyond 30 Kms of the concerned court, the local Magistrate and the police are required to be informed, which has not been done in the case in hand.

    “Moreover, the arrest has been made after the sunset and that too from the bedroom of Arup Chatterjee, who is accused. This is again in violation of the guidelines of the judgment (of the apex court)”.

    The high court had also said that prima facie it appears the directions of the Supreme Court in the case of Arnesh Kumar and D.K.Basu had not been followed.

    In those cases, the Supreme Court had gone to the extent of ruling that if the directions were not followed by police officials, contempt proceedings can be initiated against the erring officer(s) in the high court having territorial jurisdiction.

    “The petitioner (Arup Chatterjee) has been arrested without following the procedure prescribed under Sections 80 and 81 CrPC and not produced before the court of any Magistrate at Ranchi. It appears that the procedure prescribed under CrPC has been violated”, the Jharkhand High Court held.

    Chatterjee was arrested by Dhanbad police in a case registered at Govind Pur police station for alleged extortion.

  • Bill to regulate digital media, 23 others to be tabled in monsoon session of Parliament

    By IANS

    NEW DELHI: As many as 24 new bills will be introduced in the upcoming monsoon session of the Parliament, including the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2022. “The Bill seeks to replace the Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act, 1867 by the decriminalisation of the existing Act, keeping the procedures of the extant Act simple from the viewpoint of medium/small publishers and uphold the values of Press Freedom”.

    The Bill may see stiff opposition as it is said that this bill is being brought to control the small publishers and digital media. The Opposition has already alleged that the government is trying to stifle voice of dissent in the country.

    Another important bill is Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which seeks to provide regulatory framework for Carbon Trading in India, to encourage penetration of renewables in energy mix, and effective implementation and enforcement of the Energy Conservation Act.

    Four other bills have been referred to the standing committee: Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021; Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019; Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (Amendment) Bill, 2019; and National Anti-Doping Bill, 2021.

    The one bill which has been introduced in Lok Sabha but not sent to standing committee is Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022.

    The Congress has raised the issue of “unparliamentary” words and Jairam Ramesh had said: “Clarification from @ombirlakota about unparliamentary words doesn’t mean much. In all discussions, media seems to have overlooked that they can’t report on these comments in their dispatches. Also, print media will have to think twice before using these words in their articles.”

    NEW DELHI: As many as 24 new bills will be introduced in the upcoming monsoon session of the Parliament, including the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2022. “The Bill seeks to replace the Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act, 1867 by the decriminalisation of the existing Act, keeping the procedures of the extant Act simple from the viewpoint of medium/small publishers and uphold the values of Press Freedom”.

    The Bill may see stiff opposition as it is said that this bill is being brought to control the small publishers and digital media. The Opposition has already alleged that the government is trying to stifle voice of dissent in the country.

    Another important bill is Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which seeks to provide regulatory framework for Carbon Trading in India, to encourage penetration of renewables in energy mix, and effective implementation and enforcement of the Energy Conservation Act.

    Four other bills have been referred to the standing committee: Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021; Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019; Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (Amendment) Bill, 2019; and National Anti-Doping Bill, 2021.

    The one bill which has been introduced in Lok Sabha but not sent to standing committee is Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022.

    The Congress has raised the issue of “unparliamentary” words and Jairam Ramesh had said: “Clarification from @ombirlakota about unparliamentary words doesn’t mean much. In all discussions, media seems to have overlooked that they can’t report on these comments in their dispatches. Also, print media will have to think twice before using these words in their articles.”

  • Supreme Court to hear pleas challenging constitutionality of sedition law on April 27

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear the two pleas challenging the constitutional validity of section 124A (sedition) in the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The top court will be hearing the pleas by the Editors Guild of India and a former army officer Major General SG Vombatkere.

    Last year in July, The top court had agreed to examine the pleas and had asked the Central government why it is not repealing the provision that was used to silence people like Mahatma Gandhi to suppress the freedom movement.

    The plea, filed on behalf of Major-General SG Vombatkere (Retd.) said that Section 124A of the IPC is ultra vires Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution, read with Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

    “… statute criminalizing expression based on unconstitutionally vague definitions of ‘disaffection towards Government’ etc. is an unreasonable restriction on the fundamental right to free expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) and causes constitutionally impermissible ‘Chilling Effect’ on speech”, The plea had contended.

    Several pleas challenging the colonial law are pending before the top court.

    In April 2021, another bench headed by Justice UU Lalit had issued notice on the pleas filed by two journalists – Kishorechandra Wangkhemcha and Kanhaiya Lal Shukla working in Manipur and Chhattisgarh respectively, had pleaded before the top court to declare the provision unconstitutional.

    The petition by the journalists had said that Section 124-A fails to meet the international standard of ‘legality’ which India is under the obligation meet as a party to the ICCPR, and  the terms ‘intention’ and ‘tendency’ in the interpretation of Section 124-A are so subjective that the law is uncertain and unascertainable and are an invitation to abuse by authorities. 

    The plea by journos had alleged that Section 124-A is unnecessary to protect the interests of state security and public disorder, and is duplicated by more recent legislation which directly and sufficiently prevents and deals with the mischief of public disorder and public violence.

  • J&K government puts re-registration of Kashmir Press Club in abeyance

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR: A fortnight after Kashmir Press Club (KPC) was granted re-registration under the Societies Registration Act 1860 and a day after the management of the top journalists’ body announced elections, the authorities put in abeyance the re-registration of the KPC as a society.In its January 14, 2022, order to put re-registration of KPC on abeyance, Registrar of Societies, Director Industries and Commerce Kashmir stated that the re-registration granted under number 7427-Sof 2021 dated December 29, 2021, to KPC has hereby been kept in abeyance till the receipt of the final report from the Additional District Magistrate of Srinagar.The KPC had on December 29, 2021, received a re-registration certificate under the Societies Registration Act 1860 from the Registrar of Societies Kashmir Division, Government of J&K.After being granted re-registration, the KPC had announced the holding of elections on February 15, 2022.The KPC elections were scheduled for July 2021 after the end of the two-year term of the first-elected body of journalists. However, the election got delayed due to the pending re-registration process of the Club.The KPC, which has over 300 journalists as members, held its first election in the erstwhile state of J&K in 2019.The Kashmir Press Club has called a meeting of its management body as well as the executive Committee members today to discuss the latest development. “The club management was legally bound and also had the mandate of the majority of its members to safeguard the interests of the Kashmir Press Club when it applied for re-registration following due course of law. The management body had been waiting for the official formalities to be put in place and as soon as that was communicated to it last week, the decision to hold the elections was taken and announced. However, with the new unfortunate development, the registration of the society has been put on hold which has advertently also stalled the election process for the new body that was set in motion,” reads a statement issued by KPC.It stated that the management committee wants to put this on record that during its tenure it has run the KPC with professionalism and integrity. “It hopes that the institution, which has been established after a lot of efforts by the fraternity, continues to be allowed to function in the best interests of its members”.Meanwhile, three local newspaper editors – Arshid Rasool of Daily Gadyal, Farooq Wani of Brighter Kashmir and Shafat Kira of Kashmir Vision — have written a letter to District Magistrate Srinagar alleging that the journalist fraternity of Kashmir is bereft of the proper and legal executive body of the Kashmir Press Club in the wake of the end of the two-year term of the previous body, which was running the affairs of the club.The three editors have nominated an interim committee comprising nine people to run affairs of the Kashmir Press Club till elections are held.

  • Days after reporting on liquor mafia, journalist dead in road crash at Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh

    By PTI
    PRATAPGARH: A 42-year-old news channel reporter died after his motorcycle rammed a pole near a brick kiln here, police said on Monday. The reporter, Sulabh Srivastava, recently ran a news story against the liquor mafia, and two days back, he had written to the Addl DGP (Prayagraj zone) Prem Prakash, seeking protection.

    Also, Addl SP Surendra Dwivedi said the crash took place on Sunday when Srivastava was returning from Asrahi village under the Lalganj police station area after reporting on an illegal arms manufacturing unit uncovered there.

    After the crash, Srivastava was taken to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead, he said. The officer said police were probing various angles and the body of the deceased was sent for a post-mortem examination.