Pune: Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday hit out at the Rajasthan government for promulgating the ordinance granting judges and public servants immunity from inquiries into complaints of corruption, and called it a move to weaken the fourth pillar of democracy.
The greater the freedom of press, the more robust a democracy is, he said.
Mr. Hazare said, “This ordinance, which bars the media from reporting on corruption allegations against public servants, and stipulates a two-year jail if investigations are conducted without government permission, is tantamount to strangulation of democracy.” He said that any government attempting to impose restrictions on the press in this manner is lurching towards dictatorship.
“It [the Rajasthan government] has not understood the meaning of democracy,” Mr. Hazare said. “The State’s money belongs to the people and it is they who elect representatives. If their representatives and public servants misuse this money, then the public and especially the press have the right to question irregularities and corruption.”