(a) whether Government is aware that tendency of media trial of cases/ incidents is increasing in Indian Media and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Press Council of India has expressed grave concern over the media trials and if so, the reaction of the Government thereto;
(c) whether there is any regulatory mechanism to put a check on such programmes; and
(d) if so, the steps taken or being taken by the Government to ban such programmes?
MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE; MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF HEAVY INDUSTRIES AND PUBLIC ENTERPRISES
{SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR}
(a) to (d) Press Council of India (PCI) has framed ''Norms of Journalistic Conduct'' for adherence by the media. This has a separate section on ''Trial by Media'' wherein the Press Council has elaborated the role and responsibility of media. The Press Council of India takes action, suo-moto or on receiving complaints, under Press Council (Procedure of Inquiry) Regulation, 1979, under which it may warn, admonish or censure a newspaper, a news agency, an editor or a journalist as the case may be.
Private TV channels are regulated by the Cable Television Network (Regulations) Act, 1955 and Rules framed there under. The Programme Codes under the Rules inter alia provide that no programme shall be carried out which contains anything obscene, defamatory, deliberate, false and suggesting innuendoes and half truths. Government takes suitable action in case of violation of such codes.
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