LUDHIANA: The Punjab governor, Gen.O.P.Malhotra, said Monday the government had not imposed any kind of curbs on the press but certain restrictions on some newspapers had raised the morale of the people.
Addressing a rural gathering at Jagraon, 40 km from here Monday, he said non-publication of news concerning strikes and militants’ threats had also yielded good results. There had been no strike then, he claimed.
Gen Malhotra said newspapers were free to write anything against him, the administration or the government. “But it has to be ensured that the news which terrifies and shatters the confidence of people do not appear in the papers,” he added.
JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir governor, Mr Girish Chander Saxena, said his government had not curbed the freedom of the press or imposed any restrictions on media personnel from providing information to the people “truthfully and without any bias” in the state,
Clarifying the order for checking and curbing use of objectionable material in newspapers in the state, the governor said “it is not a ban order or censorship on the press but a law which is already on the statute book,”
Saxena said an executive order has been issued to authorize some officers to apply before an already designated magistrate for seeking an order of forfeiture of newspapers or printing press used for the publication of provocative, inflammatory and threatening material.
It is not a new law but vigorous implementation of the provisions of newspapers (incitement to offences) act of 1914 A.D., he said.
NEW DELHI: Chandra Shekhar said the freedom of Press did not mean that it could play with the dignity of the nation.
The press could criticize individuals but it must project a balanced view on issues where the dignity of the nation was involved, he said.
Addressing the members of the Delhi Union of Journalists here, Chandra Shekhar said he did not oppose what he called healthy criticism by the press but it should not try to sensationalize any issue or create stories”.
Some people have the guts to tolerate baseless criticism but some will lose their self-confidence and restraint and react,” he said adding that the press must try to understand the psychology of others.
Citing some examples, the prime minister said the press had recently played up the refueling of the USS military aircraft
Some newspapers had published photographs of the aircraft, some had come out with the register of the Indian Oil Corporation and some with other documents, he said.
“India has pact with 16 countries including the United States on the refueling of their military aircraft and it was a routine affair,” he said adding that if he wanted, it could have been hushed by diverting the U.S. aircraft to some LAF base for refueling instead of their being refueled at Bombay airport.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 12, 1991
