âWe should try and set up a panel of lawyers in different cities who are willing to help journalists pro-bono and this should help journalists across the country.”
Various media organizations should come together to organize legal aid to help journalists fight cases being slapped on them. While additionally highlighting the issue of diminishing press freedoms, said senior journalist TN Ninan at the meeting held on âCreeping Infringement of Media Freedom and Assault on Personal Liberty on Journalists.â
At the meeting held at the Press Club of India in New Delhi on Monday, July 4, 2022., Ninan said that just releasing statements and coming together will not help any longer.
âWe need to help journalists fight cases as many donât have funds and people are left to do it alone. In several cases, their organizations donât help either. Families face the brunt of such infringement of freedom of speech,â Ninan said.
The meeting was organized by the Press Club of India collaborating with the Editors Guild of India, Indian Womenâs Press Corps, Press Association, Delhi Union of Working Journalists, Digipub News India Foundation, and Working News Cameramenâs Association.
Ninan further said, âWe should try and set up a panel of lawyers in different cities who are willing to help journalists pro-bono and this should help journalists across the country. Because such legal people can be found in Delhi but it is a problem in other states. This is a battle that goes beyond Delhi. Importantly, the fund should be administered transparently.”
The former Business Standard editor said, “journalists should consider what more can be done. Different kinds of media â websites, newspapers, social media, and TV- should stand together as itâs not difficult to agree on the safety of journalists and press and individual freedoms. This should happen even if the political leanings are different.”
Umakant Lakhera, President of the Press Club of India said, “A multi-pronged attack on the press is currently underway and a concerted effort is being made to portray the media as being dangerous to society.
Speaking about the recent arrest of Alt news co-founder a statement released by the press club said, âThe plethora of FIRS against many of our colleagues in the recent past and ED raids in media offices send an ominous signal to the future of the profession as a whole. The recent arrest of the Alt News co-founder for cognizable offenses is a case in point.
“Alt News, as we all know has been at the forefront of exposing fake news of all varieties. The arrest of the Alt News co-founder what we understand is based on exaggerated and trumped-up charges. On the other hand, those who actually make hate speeches are moving around freely,â the statement read.
Adding to Lakheraâs statement, the founding editor of The Wire, Siddharth Varadarajan said ” The country is in the middle of a full-blown attack on media freedom and such attacks are far away from its peak.
âIn the future, the practice of resorting to illegal procedure is only likely to increase, as seen in the case of our colleague Mohammed Zubair (Alt News co-founder),â underscored Vardarajan.”
Backing Alt news’s work, Vardarjan said, “He pointed out that fake news that had been on a smaller scale in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections has now been âescalated to an industrial scaleâ. His (Zubair’s) arrest shows all the things that are wrong with this government especially because Alt News does the important job of fact-checking fake news as large parts of the media have abdicated from that role.”
Vardarajan stressed that Zubair was initially arrested under Sections 153a (promotion of feelings of enmity etc. on grounds of religion) and 295 (Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) of the CrPC, after which other Sections were added for a tweet he posted in 2018.
“There is a pattern to the way the government targeted journalists especially Muslim journalists against whom cases are filed.”
However, Zubair cannot be charged under Sections 153a and 295 because there is a bar under Section 468 of the CrPC, according to which when the maximum punishment is three years, the court cannot take cognizance beyond three years. There is a statute of limitations that is applicable in such cases, Vardarajan added.
Vardarajan, further said, According to the judgment in the State of Bihar vs Arnesh Kumar case in 2014, a notice should have been given to Zubair, which he contended that he hadnât got. However, the remand order showed that the notice was served.
Varadarajan highlighted towards how even before the judge had deliberated about Zubairâs bail application, the Delhi Police had stated that his bail application had been denied and he was being sent to judicial remand. âWhy is this not a bigger issue in the higher judiciary? There is an open attempt to subvert the delivery of justice. Is the DCP who gave the statement on Zubair willing to have the phone examined? The brazenness of those in power is only going to grow. This kind of attack can be replicated against anyone. The judiciary appears happy to go along with it,â added Varadarajan.
Speaking on why journalists need to stand united Indian Womenâs Press Corps president Shobhna, Jain said “our voices arenât united. âWe have to take everyone along and stay together so that we can become a pressure group. We definitely have the right to question, but no one wants to hear answers. The space for dialogue is vanishing,â Jain said.
Press Council of India member Jaishankar Gupta compared the current scenario to emergency and further called it even worse, he said “This was a time of worry for journalists and journalism as without any declared order of Emergency, everything else has become worse for them. âZubairâs crime is that he exposed the lies and fake news of the government. The former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, whose comments against Prophet Mohammed were highlighted by Zubair and who also has cases against her has the protection of the police.
Pointing at the lack of unity between regional and Hindi Journalist Gupta said,”when regional media and Hindi journalists are targeted, there is rarely this show of support. âThey too need such support.
The statement concluded by saying “In addition to arbitrary arrests of media persons, other worrisome developments relate to the new CPAC guidelines for PIB accreditation, denial of PIB accreditation (renewal) to as many as 300 journalists on specious grounds, a continuation of Covid restrictions in the press gallery of the Lok Sabha and central hall. More recently the visual media barring for one was denied permission to photograph the nomination of the NDA’s presidential candidate, Ms. Draupadi Murmu,”.
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