Lok Sabha Question No. 1101 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-08
Subject: Press Freedom
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Manish Tewari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1101

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 08 TH  FEBRUARY, 2022/ MAGHA 19, 1943 (SAKA)

PRESS FREEDOM

1101. SHRI MANISH TEWARI:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)  whether Government is aware that on 15 January 2022, members of Kashmir Police & CRPF entered the premises of Kashmir Press Club without due warrant or documentation and aided a hostile takeover, if so, the details thereof and reasons therefor;

(b) whether the journalists in Kashmir and whole of India are frequently penalized by State agencies under Indian Penal Code, UAPA and other penal laws, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether due to such abhorrent coercion, India holds a poor 142nd position on the World Press Freedom Index;

(d) if so, the details of number of cases registered, persons arrested, acquitted & convicted under UAPA;

(e) whether it is a fact that there are thousands of persons all over India arrested under UAPA and have not yet been convicted of any charges brought against them, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI NITYANAND RAI)

(a):  Presently, there is no registered body by the name of 'Kashmir Press Club' or its  elected  managing  body  since  Kashmir  Press  Club,  as  a  registered  body,  has ceased to exist and has failed to register itself under the Societies  Registration Act,  1860.  The  Estates  Department  has  taken  over  the  government  building  on 17.1.2022  in  the  presence  of  Executive  Magistrate,  Srinagar.    The  government building has deployment of static guard for its protection.

## LS.US.Q.NO.1101 FOR 08.02.2022

(b) :  The Government is committed to ensure the right to freedom of speech and expression  enshrined  under  the  Article  19  of  the  Constitution  of  India.    Press Council  of  India  (PCI),  a  statutory  autonomous  body,  has  been  set  up  under  the Press Council Act, 1978 mainly to preserve the freedom of the Press and improve the  standards  of  newspapers  and  news  agencies  in  the  country.    PCI  considers complaints filed 'by the Press' concerning curtailment of press freedom, physical assault/ attack on journalists etc. under Section 13 of the Press Council Act 1978. PCI  is  also  empowered  to  take  suo-motu  cognizance  in  matters  on  the  pressing issues concerning freedom of Press and safeguarding of its high standards.  Such complaints  are  processed  under  Section  13  of  the  Press  Council  Act,  1978  and provisions of the Press Council (Procedure for Inquiry) Regulations, 1979.

(c)  to  (e):  The  World  Press  Freedom  Index  is  published  by  a  foreign  NonGovernment-Organisation, 'Reporters Without Borders'. The Government does not subscribe to its views and country rankings and does not agree to the conclusions drawn by this organisation for various reasons including very low sample size, little or no weightage to fundamentals of democracy, adoption of a methodology which is questionable and non-transparent, lack of clear definition of press freedom etc.

The  National  Crime  Records  Bureau  (NCRB)  compiles  the  data  on  crime  as reported to it by States and Union Territories and publishes the same in its annual publication  'Crime  in  India'.    As  per  the  latest  published  report,  the  number  of cases registered  is 796,  persons arrested is 1321, persons acquitted is 116 and persons convicted is 80 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the country during the year 2020.

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