Chennai: Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to constitute a press council within three months to weed out fake journalists.
A retired judge of Supreme Court or High Court should head the Press Council of Tamil Nadu, which will be which will be comprised of experienced and reputed journalists — working and retired — retired civil servants and police officials in the rank of IAS and IPS, the court said in a recent order.
The Council members will be on regular payroll of media houses and other organizations, evidenced by salary slips, payment of TDS and circulation or viewership details, as the case may be, reported PTI.
Justices N Kirubakaran (since retired) and P Velmurugan further said that loss of job on any account — resignation, dismissal or death and disability – will result in immediate exit from the board.
The two-member division bench was hearing two PIL petitions filed by S Sekaran, who claimed to be a journalist. In the first petition, he prayed for directions to the Home secretary and DGP, CB-CID, to consider his 2019 representations to form a team and investigate a report conveying fallacious investigation data in idol theft.
The second petition prayed for direction to the two officials to consider forming a team to investigate economic offence by a trust.
The bench found during the course of arguments and on verification of records that the petitioner could be the mouthpiece of Kader Basha, who was involved in idol theft cases, and other accused.
Though his submissions were not entirely rejected, the judges were of the view that the petitions were filed to divert investigation in idol theft cases, at the instance of some third parties.
The bench observed it was very common these days to find SUV cars with a ‘PRESS’ sticker on the front windshield and ‘Human Rights’ label in the rear which were actually being driven by fraudsters masquerading as journalists.
Some of these ‘journalists’ have even floated fake media associations and unions, and issued fake Press ID cards to anti-social members.
The bench outlined the following measures to be adopted by the Council:
* It will have sole authority to recognize press clubs and journalists’ associations or unions in the state and won’t allow or recognize formation or continuation of clubs or unions or associations based on caste, community or state boundaries.
* It will conduct and approve elections to these clubs, unions and associations, their management and be vested with the elected team of office bearers only after such approval by the board; a period has to be stipulated.
* The Council will identify fake journalists and lodge complaints against them to jurisdictional police. Members of the public, as also other affected people, can send their complaints on fake journalists to the welfare board, which will inquire and initiate criminal action against such fake journalists because they are a menace and a threat to civil society.
* The state government will not allot any house or grant free bus passes directly to any applicant journalist and route it through the Council which, after due diligence, may issue such benefits.
* After constitution of the Council, all journalists’ organizations will be kept in suspended animation so that election could be conducted for those organizations under its supervision, within six months thereafter.
* The State shall make necessary amendments to the Accreditation Rules within three months and not issue press stickers, ID cards and other benefits, unless the organisation or media house discloses the number of employees, salary slips, TDS details, tax paid to the Government and proof that it sells certain number of copies or has certain viewership.
* State government/council will not issue press ID cards or stickers to the print media, magazines, dailies unless there is proof of circulation of at least 10,000 copies of the daily/weekly/fortnightly/ monthly and quota of ID cards will be increased or decreased proportionate to circulation.
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