-PTI   The Indian Journalists' Association Wednesday criticised Press Council chairman Markandey katju for his comments on the intellectual capacity of journalists and urged the Centre to ignore such "ill-conceived" views. In a statement in Kolkata, IJA general secretary Mrinal Biswas and former Press Council member Mihir Ganguly said that katju's recent observations on the scribes "had crossed the limit of the jurisdiction set in the Act". Demanding that katju express regret for "casting...

To understand the role which the media should be playing in India we have to first understand the historical context. India is presently passing through a transitional period in its history: a transition from a feudal agricultural society to a modern industrial society. This is a very painful and agonising period. The old feudal society is being uprooted and torn apart; but the new, modern, industrial society has not yet been...

Some of the recent cases in the higher courts bring into sharp focus the dilemmas on the death penalty. ON October 10, the Supreme Court Bench of Justices Aftab Alam and C.K. Prasad stayed the execution of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving assailant in the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack, by admitting his appeal against the death sentence awarded to him by the Bombay High Court. The Bench wondered whether Kasab deserved...

-The Hindu   Writes to Manmohan Singh seeking more teeth to council Press Council Chairman Markandey katju has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh suggesting that the electronic media be brought under its purview. He has also sought “more teeth” to the council. “I have written to the PM that the electronic media should be brought under the Press Council and it should be called Media Council and we should be given more teeth....

-The Times of India   Describing journalists in general as having "very poor intellectual level", Press Council chairman Markandey katju has called for the electronic media to be brought under the purview of the council. katju went on to say in a television interview that he had a very poor opinion of most people in the media. "The general rut is very low and I have a poor opinion of most media people....