Patna:
Just two days after he slammed Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan over attacks on journalists in the state, Press Council Chairman Justice Markandeya Katju today hit out at the Bihar government. Speaking at the Patna University, he said that there is no freedom of press in Bihar and anyone against the state government is targeted.
"I have been told that nobody is allowed to write against the government or a government official. The pressure can be in various forms, either by stopping ads or coercing editors to terminate services of a journalist for writing against the government. This is a violation of the constitution; Article 19 guarantees freedom of the press which is a fundamental right. Those who violate it are not letting the constitution run smoothly," Justice Katju said.
Justice Katju's speech was immediately disrupted as ruckus broke out after students and others opposed his remarks. Justice Katju, however, told the crowd that creating a ruckus was not the answer and they should try and reason out logically with him.
On Wednesday, Justice Katju had issued a showcause notice to the Maharashtra CM and threatened to recommend dismissal of the state government to the President over attacks on journalists in the state.
"It is the duty of the state government to maintain law and order in the state but it seems to me that your government is neither able to maintain law and order nor prevent attack on journalists, which seriously imperils freedom of the press," Mr Katju had said in a letter to CM Chavan.
"You are, therefore, requested to now showcause why I should not recommend to the President of India to dismiss your state government under Article 356 of the Constitution since your government apparently seems to have failed to uphold the Constitution as it has failed to uphold the freedom of the press under Article 19 (1) (a)," the letter added.
The letter was written after a delegation of journalists from Maharashtra met him and apprised him of attacks on journalists and media houses in the state, including the one on The Times of India building in Mumbai. Mr Katju said he was informed that in the last ten years over 800 journalists were physically attacked, while in the last two and half years 213 journalists were attacked by political workers and anti-social elements.
(
With PTI Inputs)