Press Council of India urges Centre to introduce law for protection of journalists
The media body adopted a report on arrests and wrongful detention of journalists in the country.
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The Press Council of India has adopted a report urging the Union government to introduce a national law for the security and protection of journalists.
The report – Arrests, Wrongful Detentions and Intimidation of Media Personnel – on the arrests and wrongful detention of journalists in the country has been authored by Press Council member Gurbir Singh. It was adopted by the council on September 27 and a copy was shared with Scroll on Thursday.
The report was adopted with a dissent note from its chairperson, former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai.
The Press Council is a statutory, adjudicating body established in 1966 and operates as per the provisions of the Press Council Act, 1978.
“Five journalists were killed and 226 others were targeted by state agencies, non-state political actors, anti-social elements and criminals across India during 2023,” the report says, citing data from the India Press Freedom Annual Report released on May 3, on World Press Freedom Day.
Singh also points out that, according to private surveys, the Indian news organisations are functioning under “severe constraints”. India was ranked 159 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index 2024, it points out.
“Giving a breakdown of the numbers, the report, released by the India Freedom of Expression Initiative, an alliance of press...
