The private member’s Bill that Rahul Gandhi’s close aide and Congress MP Meenakshi Natarajan was scheduled to introduce in Parliament last week lays down a draconian set of rules clearly aimed to gag and threaten the media in the name of “protecting national interest”. Called the Print and Electronic Media Standards and Regulation Bill, 2012, it provides for a media regulatory authority — part selected by the I&B minister and three...
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Disclose letters of plaints against judges, says CIC
-The Deccan Herald In a decision that is likely to reveal the names of judges against whom complaints have been filed in the Law Ministry, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Law Ministry to make public the forwarding letters attached with such complaints that are forwarded to the Supreme Court and High Courts. The transparency panel gave this direction while hearing the RTI plea of activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal, who...
More »‘Untouchability still haunts Dalits'
-The Hindu The former Chief Justice of India S. Rajendra Babu has said that the practice of untouchability with all the consequent evils is still haunting Dalits in particular and society at large. He was delivering the inaugural address at a discussion on “Empowering Dalits under the Constitution” organised by Swabhimana here. Mr. Rajendra Babu said that untouchability continues owing to the indifferent laws. The governments are bringing in laws with the hope to...
More »Cong MP & Rahul aide moves for law to ‘regulate’ the media-Maneesh Chhibber
At a time when the Supreme Court has indicated its intent to lay down “guidelines” for the media, Congress Lok Sabha member and a close aide of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Meenakshi Natarajan, wants a law to regulate the media, both print and broadcast. And set up an authority that can even “suo motu” probe “complaints” against the media. Natarajan gave notice in the Lok Sabha to introduce a Private...
More »Govt wades into trial-by-media battle
-The Telegraph The government today told a Constitution bench that the right to freedom of speech was for the “benefit” of the public, not the media, as it backed the Supreme Court’s attempt to lay down norms for reporting judicial proceedings. “Freedom of speech is not for the benefit of the press but for the benefit of the public,” additional solicitor-general Indira Jaisingh said, marking a shift from the cautious stand the...
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