The Editors Guild of India (EGI) on Wednesday condemned the decision of the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) to cancel the registration of Daily Desher Katha , a newspaper published from Agartala.
The Guild called it a gross over-reaction and a draconian step that throttled the freedom of the media.
It demanded immediate revocation of the order pending further inquiry into the charges of misinformation.
It also demanded that a thorough inquiry be instituted by the government to investigate whether the decision was politically motivated.
“According to media reports, the registration of Daily Desher Katha , mouthpiece of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Tripura, was cancelled on the ground that there was an ‘unauthorised change of ownership’…,” it said.
RNI claim
The RNI’s letter to the newspaper said the registration was cancelled on the basis of a report from the sub-divisional magistrate.
“As a consequence, the daily suspended its publication on October 2 for the first time since its inception four decades ago,” it said.
