Annexure 4: Press Council of India

The Press Council of India was first created in 1966 under the Indian Press Council Act, 1965, on the recommendations of the First Press Commission (1952-54) with the twin object of “preserving the freedom of press” and of “maintaining and improving the standards of newspapers and news agencies in India”. The 1965 Act was, however, repealed in 1975 and the Press Council was abolished during emergency. A new Act was passed in 1978 more or less in the same terms as the Act of 1965 and the Press Council was re-established in 1979. The Chairman of the Council is by convention, a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India. As an autonomous quasi-judicial body, the aim of the Council is to administer ethics and to inculcate principles of self-regulation among the Press.

Besides, it also reviews developments likely to interfere with the freedom of press. The Council discharges its functions primarily through adjudications on complaints received by it, either against the press for violation of journalistic ethics or by Press for interference with its freedom. If the Council is satisfied on hearing of journalistic ethics or public taste or that of an editor or a working journalist has committed any professional misconduct, the Council may warn, admonish or censure them or disapprove of their conduct.

The Council is also empowered to make such observations as it may think appropriate in respect of any authority including Government, for interfering with the Freedom of the Press. The decisions of the Council is final and cannot be challenged in any court of law. While the Council is now receiving increasing number of complaints, it is widely felt that the Act needs more teeth to discharge its functions more effectively. Apart from the Annual report, the Council publishers a quarterly bulletin PCI Review.