Facing criticism over its stand in the Supreme Court that reasonable restrictions on free speech were acceptable when national interest was at stake, the Press Council of India (PCI) on Tuesday decided to tell the court that it opposes any restrictions on the media in Jammu and Kashmir.
Last week, the PCI had sought to intervene in the petition filed by Kashmir Times executive editor Anuradha Bhasin, who challenged the restrictions on communications in Jammu and Kashmir imposed since August 5, when the government announced the revocation of the State’s special Constitutional status and splitting it into two Union Territories. Phone and internet services have remained shut in the Kashmir Valley since then, while mobile internet remains cut in other areas of the State.
In a letter to all PCI members, PCI secretary Anupama Bhatnagar said Ms. Bhasin’s petition was expected to come up in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
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The PCI, the letter informed, had filed an application for intervention and set up a sub-committee to study the situation facing the media in Jammu and Kashmir. The sub-committee is yet to visit the State and submit its report, it said.
“The Council stands for the freedom of the press and does not approve of any sort of restriction on the media. A detailed reply shall be filed on receipt of the report of the sub-committee,” the PCI letter said.
Several journalist bodies have demanded that PCI Chairman Justice Prasad, withdraw his plea in the Supreme Court supporting the clampdown on media in Jammu and Kashmir.
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Senior journalists representing many organisations met at the Press Club of India on Tuesday afternoon to protest the shutdown of communication lines and curbs on media.