NEW DELHI: Eight prominent media bodies on Tuesday sought PM Narendra Modi's intervention to defer Wednesday's meeting of the "truncated"
Press Council of India, alleging that its chairman had adopted "arbitrary" procedures to reconstitute the media watchdog.
In a letter to the PM, representatives of Indian Newspaper Society, Indian Journalists' Union, All India Newspaper Editors' Conference, Working News Cameramen Association, National Union of Journalists (India), Hindi Samachar Patra Sammelan, All India Small and Medium Newspapers' Federation and Press Association, alleged that the procedure adopted for reconstitution of the 13th PCI was "arbitrary" and would have an effect on the media freedom if not reversed.
"The reconstitution... undertaken by Chairman Justice (retd) C
K Prasad has overlooked precedent and adopted a process to keep out certain media associations and candidates. His action has cast serious doubts over the autonomy and neutrality of the PCI, mandated to preserve and protect the freedom of the press," the letter said.
It said the
PCI chairman has called a meeting of the reconstituted Council on April 11 with only eight of the 28 members - five MPs and three official nominees - leaving out representatives of print media organisations whose names have still not been notified. Maintaining that reconstitution of PCI was still under way, the media bodies said holding a meeting of such a "truncated" PCI would go against the spirit of the Press Council Act.
The Indian Federation of Working Journalists urged the government to "respect the autonomy and independence" of PCI.
In a statement, the IFWJ said the demand by eight media organisations for PM Modi's intervention in PCI affairs would amount to "a direct attack on the freedom of the press".
Stating that reconstitution of PCI was still under way, the eight media bodies said holding a meeting of such a "truncated" PCI would be unfair and go against the spirit of the Press Council Act
