Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru(DC)
Bengaluru, Apr 4: In an irony of sorts, Mysuru MP and BJP leader Pratap Simha who vociferously defended editor of Postcard News Mahesh Vikram Hegde who has been arrested for circulating fake news, is a member of Press Council of India.
The Editors Guild on Tuesday April 4 while acknowledging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's withdrawal of his own government’s controversial order that categorically stated journalists would be punished for generating fake news, expressed displeasure at the government's selection of the Press Council.
The Editors Guild in its statement said that it was "deeply disturbed" at the government's selection of the members to the Press Council which has limited powers. The council was reconstituted by the government on March 16.
In its statement, the Editors Guild said, "The Guild acknowledges the intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office to withdraw the I&B Ministry’s notification but remains deeply disturbed that faith continues to be reposed on the Press Council of India to deliver justice on such issues. The recent reconstitution of the Press Council of India has been done in a manner that gives rise to doubts over the independence of the institution and its ability to play neutral umpire. The Guild’s nominees to the Council were disallowed on technical grounds. Also, the recent reconstitution of the Central Press Accreditation Committee has raised questions over the non-transparent processes being followed by the I&B Ministry as the Guild’s application was ignored."
Press Council of India (PCI) chairman, Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad in his official statement said, "Fake news is a global menace and if any government intends to take remedial steps to check its spread, per se, there is nothing wrong or obnoxious about it, provided that the authority to decide the truthfulness or otherwise of an allegation of fake news is entrusted to an Independent statutory body like, the Press Council of India."
The Press Council of India comprises 28 members, led by a chairman who is always a retired Supreme Court judge. One of the members of the PCI, nominated by the Lok Sabha, is Pratap Simha who openly defended the founder-editor of Postcard News Mahesh Hegde who was recently arrested for circulating fake news.
The Bengaluru police had arrested Hegde for falsely claiming that a Jain monk from Karnataka had been attacked by Muslim youth on March 18. But the monk had been injured in a road mishap. He was also arrested for one more fake news related to Rani Chennamma and Onake Obava published in Postcard News.