NEW DELHI, JULY 24
Stating that the electronic and social media platforms have become like an unruly horse which needs to be tamed, the Indian Journalists Union (IJU), the premier organization of media persons in the country, on Sunday urged the Union Government to immediately constitute a Media Council of India to ensure freedom of the press and regulate the electronic and social medias in the country on the lines of the Press Council of India (PCI) for the print media.
“The IJU on many occasions in the last two decades had demanded the Central government to form the Media Council of India. But the successive Governments did not accept our suggestion and tried to control the electronics media by Government regulations which failed to ensure both the freedom of press and reasonable control on the digital and social media,” says a joint statement of the IJU president BR Prajapathi and secretary-general G Prabhakaran.
The statement by Chief Justice of India Justice NV Ramana and the uncharacteristically warning of electronics and social media to desist from holdings trials and unsavory campaign against judges as “media trial affect freedom of judiciary” underlined the need for urgently constituting a Media Council of India with enough judicial powers.
Addressing high court judges, judicial officers and law students in Ranchi on Saturday, July 23, 2022, the CJI, said that justice delivery is becoming challenging with each passing day and a major impending factor is the concerted campaigns in media, particularly in social media against judges.
“Unless the media is self-regulated its conduct and stops transgressing the limits, the judiciary could be forced to draw lines for them,” the CJI warned.
He said that the “Print media still has certain degree of accountability. Whereas, electronic media has zero accountability as to what it shows vanishes in thin air. Still worse is social media.” The CJI had also warned the media against testing patience of judges.
- Unless the media is self-regulated its conduct and stops transgressing the limits, the judiciary could be forced to draw lines for them: Chief Justice of India Justice NV Ramana
- The IJU feels that the CJI blaming the electronics media of running kangaroo courts is a very serious matter as it threatens the freedom of judiciary it is time for the media houses and media persons to take serious note of the warning.
- The Supreme Court of India always came to the rescue of freedom of press and protected the media and media persons whenever they faced threat from the government or other agencies
The Chief Justice said, “Another aspect which affects the fair functioning and independence of the judiciary is the rising number of media trials. New media tools have enormous amplifying ability but appear to be incapable of distinguishing between the right and the wrong, the good and the bad and the real and the fake. Media trials cannot be a guiding factor in deciding cases.”
The IJU feels that the CJI blaming the electronics media of running kangaroo courts is a very serious matter as it threatens the freedom of judiciary it is time for the media houses and media persons to take serious note of the warning.
It is to be recalled that the Supreme Court of India always came to the rescue of freedom of press and protected the media and media persons whenever they faced threat from the government or other agencies. So the electronic and social media should take these issues very seriously and introspect about their functioning and end the “media trial” as they are not part of freedom of press.
The IJU also urged the other journalist unions to come together to take a united stand on the warning issued by the Chief Justice of India to ensure the freedom of the press and to have a responsible electronic and social media in the country and the constitution of Media Council of India for electronic and social media.
Meanwhile, under the able leadership of IJU president and secretary general a merger meeting was recently held in Pondicherry to bring all journalist unions of the country under its one umbrella and strengthen the bargaining power of scribes.
