Daijiworld Media Network - Goa
from special correspondent
Panaji, Oct 6: Referring to the Mid day contempt petition issue, the Press Council of India (PCI), has said that the judiciary should be more sensitive to the duties and functions of the press.
"Courts are expected to be more sensitive to the duties and functions of the press and before taking any view it may be considered whether the criticism per se undermine the functioning of the court in the estimation of the public by demeaning the judges presiding in the law courts," a resolution adopted by the PCI council meeting chaired by Justice G N Ray, reads.
The two-day meeting in Goa adopted the resolution after deliberating on the issue of contempt petition against Mid-Day before the Delhi high court.
"In a democratic set-up, all institutions are open to bonafide critical evaluation of their functioning and such bonafide criticism in public interest only strengthen the quality of functioning," PCI chairman justice Ray said briefing mediapersons after the meeting, this afternoon.
"Therefore, media information based on truth and published in the public interest constitute defense in a contempt proceedings," he added.
The PCI meeting resolved that it is reasonably expected that proper justice will be meted out to the concerned media (mid-day daily ) in the appeal pending before the court.
The council expressed confidence that supreme court of India, which is seized of the matter, would give due consideration to all such aspects and its decision would give added impetus to the guarantee enshrined in the article 19 (1) of the Indian constitution.
The PCI also expressed its objection to the censorship prior to the broadcasting of any content. "There should not be prior censorship. But that does not mean that anybody should be left unregulated. The action should be taken, if they (media) have breached the rules after broadcast," Justice Ray stated referring to censorship of sting operations.
He conceded that recent couple of sting operations have brought bad name to media and the country.
Ray stated that instead of government controlling the media, the task should be handed over to the regulatory authorities.