KATJU DEMANDS ELECTRONIC MEDIA UNDER PRESS COUNCIL

Justice Markandey Katju, who was recently appointed Press Council chairman and who was in the news last week for his comments on the biased role of media and inappropriate actions of police, has written to the Prime Minister demanding electronic media to come under the purview of Press Council. He asked for “more teeth” to the council.  Those teeth would be used in extreme situations, Katju said in a programme on CNN-IBN. When asked how he would use those powers, he replied, “I want powers to stop government advertisement, I want to suspend licence of that media for a certain period if it behaves in a very obnoxious manner, impose fines.” Assuring that these measures would not attack the freedom in India, he said, “Everybody is accountable in a democracy. No freedom is absolute. Every freedom is subject to reasonable restrictions. I am accountable, you are accountable, we are accountable to the people.” He said, “80 per cent people are living in horrible poverty, unemployment, facing price rise, health care (problems),” whereas media divert the attention from these problems and instead project film stars and fashion parades.