The Press Council of India
Context: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla nominated three members to the Press Council of India—Sambit Patra, Naresh Mhaske, and Kali Charan Munda—highlighting the ongoing reconstitution of this quasi-judicial statutory body that oversees standards in India’s print media.
Important Pointers:
Statutory Body: The Press Council of India is a statutory quasi-judicial body established under the Press Council Act, of 1978.
Mandate: It aims to preserve the freedom of the press and maintain/improve the standards of newspapers and news agencies in India.
Jurisdiction: The Council only oversees print media, not electronic or digital media.
Chairperson: Headed by a Chairperson, who is usually a retired Supreme Court judge, appointed by a committee comprising the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and a member elected by the PCI.
Composition: The PCI consists of 28 members, including representatives from Parliament, media professionals, newspaper management, education, law, and literature.
Recent Nominations: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla nominated Sambit Patra (BJP), Naresh Mhaske (Shiv Sena), and Kali Charan Munda (Congress) to the PCI.
Rajya Sabha Nominations: Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar nominated Sudhanshu Trivedi and Brij Lal (both BJP) as members.
Other Key Members: Includes Ashwini K Mohapatra (UGC), Manan Kumar Mishra (Bar Council of India), and K. Sreenivasa Rao (Sahitya Academic).
Powers: The PCI has the powers of a civil court while conducting inquiries but cannot enforce its decisions.