The country does not need a new substantive law, but a new procedural regime to address issues in the context of the latest media trends, said Justice Anup Jairam Bhambani of the Delhi High Court.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the national conference on “New Dimensions of Media Law”, organised by the VIT School of Law, in the city on Saturday.
Stating that official or statutory regulation of the media would be walking a slippery slope, he said self-regulation would be most appropriate. “It would be a grave mistake to allow external regulation of speech. The use of alogirthm to sift offensive content is also an option,” he said.
He also cautioned that users have to act with a lot of discernment, considering that internet reach within India was now 30%.
‘Vigorous press’
N. Ravi, publisher, The Hindu Group, said India was one of the largest media markets in the world. Stating that India had an independent and vigorous press, he said the Indian media was substantially free, although there were some specific concerns.
Speaking about the information blackout imposed in Jammu and Kashmir, he said it prevented a large section of people from knowing what was happening in the State and people outside remain uninformed about the situation. “Since 2012, there have been 347 cases of internet shutdowns in the country, of which more than half have been in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
M. Gandhi, dean, VITSOL, VIT Chennai, welcomed the gathering. P.K. Manoharan, additional registrar, was present.
