A four-member committee of the Press Council of India will shortly go to Gujarat to look into whether there are instances of ‘paid news’ and other violations of press freedom during the Assembly elections, PCI Chairman Justice Markandey Katju said on Wednesday.
The idea of sending a committee came after the Election Commission detected many instances of paid news during the recently-concluded poll in Himachal Pradesh, he told reporters here. He set up the committee, headed by PCI member Rajeev Ranjan Nag, two days ago.
A PCI report led the EC to cancel the election of an MLA in Uttar Pradesh after finding him guilty of paid news, Justice Katju pointed out.
The PCI might continue with this exercise during the next Lok Sabha elections too, he said.
