Srinagar- The High Court of J&K and Ladakh has issued notice to authorities on a contempt plea filed by an NGO in connection with the mushrooming of news portals without following due procedure of law.
The notice was issued by a division bench of Chief Justice (acting) Tashi Rabstan and Justice Puneet Gupta after hearing counsel for Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Forum, a non-governmental organisation.
In June 2022, the High Court had left it open for the government to take decision with regard to regulating and controlling the social media news channels, networks, pages and portals in Jammu and Kashmir.
Disposing of the Public Interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Forum through its General Secretary M. M. Shuja in 2021, the court had asked the government to consider representation by the NGO with regard to regulating and controlling the social media network and take appropriate action expeditiously.
“The petitioner may submit a detailed representation and suggestions regarding regulating and controlling the social media network to the Principal Secretary Information Department in the manner in which he wants social media news channels to be permitted and regulated,” the court said, adding, “In the event, the petitioner so submits the representation and the suggestions, the Government and the Principal Secretary, Information Department would be free to consider the same and take an appropriate action most expeditiously as may be permissible in law,” the court had said.
In 2021, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Forum had filed the PIL, seeking directions to the government to designate a regulatory authority for grant of permission to the social media news channels, networks, pages and portals.
It had also sought a direction not to allow any social media news network, agency, page or portal to function without proper license and permission.
In the PIL the Forum had submitted that every person by “hanging a camera and holding a mike poses himself as a journalist irrespective of the fact whether he is authorized and permitted to work as journalist.” Such “pseudo-journalists”, the Forum said, have not only “tarnished” the image of real journalists but they also resorted to “blackmailing of government officers, contractors and politicians.”
The petitioner had further stated that it was obligatory upon the authorities to scrutinize the credentials and antecedents of every person holding any direct or indirect position in any media house, media channel and / or social media group and identify the Government employees so that they are made to choose either their employment in the government or in the media house.
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