Legally
India: New Delhi: Thursday, 25 September 2014.
The Press
Council of India (PCI) has answered a Right to Information (RTI) that
matrimonial advertisements showcasing race, caste and religion, are not allowed
by it, while conceding that it has no powers to force compliance.
In an RTI
filed by advocate Kush Kalra, the PCI answered “no” in response to the question
“are Matrimonial advertisements in newspapers/press based on race, caste and
religion allowed by Press Council of India, keeping in view the mandate of
Article 15 of the Constitution” - “prohibition of discrimination on grounds of
religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. (1) The State shall not
discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex,
place of birth or any of them”.
However, it
noted that the council was only “empowered to warn, admonish or censure the
newspaper” for breaches in its journalistic code of conduct.
The PCI also
revealed that complaints of paid news had been rising rapidly over the last
four years, with nearly as many cases registered already this year as in
2013-14. In 2011-12, there were only 21 complaints, followed by 10 complaints
in 2012-13, which then multiplied tenfold in 2013-14 to 101.
Former
Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju took over in 2011 as PCI chairman.
Paid News
Complaints have been received by Press Council of India in last 3 years. Kindly
provide state wise details.
Reply:
2011-2012 : 21 CASES
2012-2013: 10
cases
2013-2014:
101 cases
2014-2015: 84
cases
The third
question asked how many complaints were received against editors of newspapers
for publishing misleading information in the last three years, with complaints
there seeming to have reduced.
PCI
response:
2011-2012: 8
cases
2012-2013: 17
cases
2013-2014: 9
cases
.JPG)
.JPG)
