Faced with severe criticism over its move to intervene in a case in the Supreme Court over the curbs on communication in Jammu & Kashmir, the Press Council of India has decided to tell the apex court that it does not approve of any sort of restriction on the media and will give a detailed reply after its fact-finding panel submits a report.
The Council made its stand clear even as top media bodies such as the Editors Guild, Press Association, Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC), Indian Journalists Union, Working News Camermen’s Association and the Press Club of India, asked it to withdraw its application seeking intervention in the petition filed by Anuradha Bhasin, Executive Editor of Kashmir Times.
In the petition, Bhasin has sought the removal of restrictions on communication in Jammu & Kashmir, which she said were coming in the way of journalists’ right to exercise their profession.
A group of PCI members had raised questions over the Council’s move, saying they were not taken into confidence before or after the action by the media watchdog’s chairman and retired Supreme Court Justice CK Prasad.
After a joint meeting of the media bodies, a resolution was passed which said that they condemn the arrest and intimidation of media persons in the Kashmir Valley.
“We also condemn the attack on journalists, who visited Jammu & Kashmir on professional work. This house formally resolves to oppose the Press Council of India Chairman’s unilateral and arbitrary decision to approach the court in the case of media restrictions in Kashmir,” the resolution said.
As per PCI rules, the intervention is “infructuous” since the same has not been confirmed by the full Council, it said.