INS slams Kerala govt's ordinance, seeks its withdrawal for 'restoring' press freedom

The Indian Newspaper Society on Tuesday strongly protested the Kerala government's ordinance making a controversial amendment to the state Police Act and urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to withdraw it and "restore" press freedom.

The Indian Newspaper Society on Tuesday strongly protested the Kerala government's ordinance making a controversial amendment to the state Police Act and urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to withdraw it and "restore" press freedom. In a statement, Indian Newspaper Society (INS) president L Adimoolam, on behalf of INS members, expressed "dismay and shock" over the ordinance issued by the Kerala government to amend the Kerala Police Act to enable stringent punishment for publication of material deemed to be defamatory.

The INS' strong statement comes a day after the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front government in Kerala put on hold the implementation of the amendment, citing criticism from various quarters. The INS president said the newspapers body strongly protests promulgation of this "draconian ordinance" which will give the police and the state government unbridled powers to harass and prosecute print, electronic and digital media in Kerala for exercising the freedom of the press enshrined in the Constitution.

The INS urged the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues to withdraw this "hastily promulgated" law which has a serious and chilling effect on the right of the media to report news. The Supreme Court had in 2015 passed a landmark judgment in a similar case and struck down Section 66A of the IT Act and Section 118 (d) of the Kerala Police Act, for being violative of the right to freedom of speech and expression and for its vagueness, the INS pointed out. "While the Society recognises the need for responsible use of social media through self regulation, this amendment to the Kerala Police Act needs to be immediately withdrawn by the state government," Adimoolam said.

The Society is confident that those in authority will pay heed to the spontaneous reaction of the media and the public against the provisions of the ordinance, he said. The Chief Minister has subsequently assured that the provisions will not be implemented until the concerns are discussed in the Kerala Assembly, which has the powers to convert the ordinance into a permanent legislation, Adimoolam noted.

The INS, therefore, urges the chief minister to take immediate steps to pass a fresh ordinance to withdraw the proposed amendments made to the Kerala Police Act, and thereby restore the freedom of press, he said. The CPI(M)-led Left front government in Kerala on Monday decided to put on hold the amendment as it triggered a political storm across the country with many describing the measure as an assault on the freedom of expression and media.

Shortly after CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury announced in New Delhi that the amendment providing for up to five years jail term to those making defamatory social media posts would be reconsidered, Chief Minister Vijayan said his government was not "intending" to implement it..