Seshadri on the Press Council of India Act @sjclblr

Supraja Seshadri, St. Joseph’s College of Law, has published Press Council of India Act. Here is the abstract.

Media houses in India have held a place of importance since time immemorial. The relevance of it may have been noticed in recent history, but it always played an important. The media is considered to be the fourth pillar of the Constitution after the Legislative, Executive and Judiciary. For a profession that has gained much momentum in recent years, it is necessary to keep a check on the powers and functions of such professionals in this field. Regulation is necessary as it ensures a smooth flow of business and acts as a deterrent at the same time. Deterrence, by means of punitive measures and smooth flow by means of code of conduct, rules of business, setting up for various committees and commissions, etc. This Act was legalised in the year 1978, right after the 1975-77 emergency. That emergency can be considered as a foundation stone for today’s provisions as seen under this Act. It is necessary to understand that the rights enshrined in our Constitution are not absolute and that they may be curbed in times of need. How can they be curbed and if curbed, what is the legal machinery used to regulate it? This article aims to answer this question by explaining in detail about this Act. To understand this Act, a brief travel in history is essential. This Article will walk the reader through the brief history of media, and media in India and touch up on the emergency times and what led to the present provision. This Act also aims to give the reader an understanding of the exhaustive chapters in this Act.

Download the article from SSRN at the link.