Freedom of the press in India

Not to be confused with Free Press of India.

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Freedom of the press in India is legally protected by the Amendment to the constitution of India,[1] while the sovereignty, national integrity, and moral principles are generally protected by the law of India to maintain a hybrid legal system for independent journalism. In India, media bias or misleading information is restricted under the certain constitutional amendments as described by the country's constitution. The media crime is covered by the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which is applicable to all substantive aspects of criminal law.

Nevertheless, freedom of the press in India is subject to certain restrictions, such as defamation law, a lack of protection for whistleblowers, barriers to information access and constraints caused by public and government hostility to journalists. The press, including print, television, radio, and internet are nominally amended to express their concerns under the selected provisions such as Article-19 (which became effective from 1950), though it states freedom of "occupation, trade or business" and "freedom of speech and expression" without naming "press" in clause "a" and "g".[2][3][4][5] The article allows a journalist or media industries to cover any story and bring it to the audiences without impacting the national security of the country.[6]

To protect the intellectual, moral, and fundamental rights of the citizens, the government has taken several countermeasures to combat circulating fake news and restricting objectionable contents across the multiple platforms. The law of India prohibits spreading or publishing fake news through social or mass media, and could lead to imprisonment of a journalist or newspaper ban.[7][8]

  1. ^ "In Modi's India, journalists face bullying, criminal cases and worse". Washington Post.
  2. ^ "Article 19(1) in The Constitution Of India 1949".
  3. ^ "What is Article 19 in the Constitution of India: Explained". The Times of India. 10 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Explained: Section 499 — the defamation law in India". The Statesman. 15 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Back to Law Commission Home Page". www.lawcommissionofindia.nic.in.
  6. ^ "Freedom of the Press in India" (PDF).[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ "New media policy for UT: J&K officials to rule on 'fake news', take legal action". 10 June 2020.
  8. ^ Dore, Bhavya (17 April 2020). "Fake News, Real Arrests". Foreign Policy.