'Anti-social elements publishing newspapers'

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, DEC. 20. The Chairman of the Press Council of India, Mr. Justice P.B. Sawant, has expressed his concern over the trend towards anti-social elements publishing newspapers and using them for blackmail.

He made the observation at the sitting of the council for the second day on Wednesday and while going into the complaint from an Indian Railway Traffic Service official working in Mumbai, Mr. Goel, against a Hindi journal, Railway Samachar. The official told the council that his efforts to put down ticketless travelling in the suburban and other railway services had evoked the wrath of the newspaper which had used scurrilous language against him. The earnings of the Western Railways had gone up by Rs. 100 crores in the last one year after he took up the drive. The newspaper was being published occasionally.

Mr. Justice Sawant said that the language used by the offending journal was the worst he had come across in his tenure. Even some other newspapers were using such language, and he went on to remark that goondas had come to publish newspapers.

The other complaint the council went into on Wednesday was against the Marathi newspaper, Tarun Bharat published from Belgaum and Sangli in Maharashtra. The complainant, Mr. Barve, a municipal councillor of Sangli, said that he had been targetted, as he had questioned the way the newspaper had published an advertisement issued by the municipality which had only helped a cartel of contractors. He alleged that the newspaper published the advertisement in its Belgaum edition after the last date for responding to the tender invited by the municipality had expired. The newspaper did not put up a defence before the council.

In its two-day sittings, the council decided 79 cases of which 44 were against the authorities for harassment and denial of facilities. The remaining ones were against the newspapers for violation of the norms of journalistic ethics. The majority (24) of the complaints against the authorities pertained to harassment of journalists by the police, the district administration etc., for highlighting the deficiencies and corruption in the administration, and 20 pertained to denial of facilities to journalists. The council censured seven newspapers, warned five and admonished three others. While nine were dismissed for lack of sufficient ground for inquiry or withdrawn, 11 cases were disposed of after issuing directions.

At its sittings, the Council took up complaints from or against newspapers published from Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

On Tuesday, Mr. Justice Sawant had said that on an average, 1,200 complaints were being received by the council every year. While 30 per cent of them were against the authorities, 70 per cent against the newspapers.

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