The Press Council of India has decided against issuing a directive to the media prohibiting the use of the word "Dalit", saying a blanket ban was neither advisable nor feasible.
In August, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had issued an advisory to all private satellite TV channels, urging them to refrain from using the nomenclature 'Dalit' for people belonging to Scheduled Castes in compliance with a Bombay High Court directive.
The Press Council of India (PCI), in its decision, that was made earlier but ratified during a meeting on Thursday, said it had an in-depth deliberation on the order of the Bombay High Court's Nagpur bench.
"It (the Council) opined that it is advisable not to issue direction/orders prohibiting the use of the word 'Dalit' in all circumstances," the order said.
PCI chairperson C K Prasad, while replying to a question on the issue of the use of the term 'Dalit' during a media interaction, noted that the Bombay High Court directed the I&B ministry to consider issuing such a directive.
"The order of the Bombay High Court was forwarded to us. The Council discussed that and has taken a decision that to prohibit the use of the word 'Dalit' in all circumstances will not be advisable. Maybe in a given case the use of the term 'Dalit' may be necessary, and therefore we have said absolute prohibition is not feasible, it is not advisable," he said.