FACULTY OF JURIDICAL SCIENCES
COURSE: LL.M. 1st Semester
GROUP: Constitutional Law
SUBJECT: Media Law
SUBJECT CODE: LL.M. 110
NAME OF FACULTY: Ms. Anjali Dixit
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Lecture-13
LECTURE 13: Major Media Laws
MAJOR MEDIA LAWS IN INDIA:
Some of the major laws related to mass media in India include the following:
o First Press Regulations,
o Gagging Act,
o Indian Press Act,
o Vernacular Press Act,
o Constitutional Provisions regarding Press Freedom,
o Official Secrets Act,
o Press and Registration of Books Act,
o Sea Customs Act,
o Contempt of Court Act,
o Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act,
o Parliamentary Proceedings Act,
o Delivery of Books and Newspapers Act,
o Copyright Act,
o Defense of India Act,
o Press Council of India Act,
o Police Act,
o Drugs and Magic Remedies Act,
o Cable Television Regulation Act,
o Right to Information Act.
FIRST PRESS REGULATIONS, 1799:
On 13th May 1799, Lord Wellesley promulgated the First Press Regulations. According to these
regulations it was mandatory for the newspapers to print the names and addresses of printers,
editors and publishers. However, these regulations were abolished during the administration of
Warren Hastings in 1813.
GAGGING ACT, 1857:
In 1857, a law was enacted known as the "Gagging Act". This Act introduced mandatory
licensing for running or owning a printing press. It empowered the Government to prohibit the
publication or circulation of any newspaper, book or any printed matter. It allowed the
Government to ban the publications or dissemination of statements or news stories, which had a
tendency to cause hatred or contempt for the Government, incite disaffection or unlawful
resistance to its orders or weaken its lawful authority. The Act was, however, abolished in June
1858.
VERNACULAR PRESS ACT, 1878:
This Act was enacted on March 1, 1878. This Act empowered the then British Government to
exercise more stringent control over publications in the Indian languages. Under this Act, any
District Magistrate or Police Commissioner could demand security from the printer and publisher
of a newspaper, forfeit such security or confiscate any printed matter considered objectionable
in the interest of the British Government.
INDIAN PRESS ACT, 1910:
Under this Act, owners of presses were required to tender security deposits. These securities
were to be forfeited if they printed any objectionable matter. In addition, the police was given
extensive powers of search and seizure. The harshness of the legislation was matched by
vigorous enforcement of its provisions. The British Government, between 1910 and 1914,
initiated no fewer than 355 cases.
OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT, 1923:
This is an act, which consolidates the law relating to official secrets, and deals with offences like
spying and wrongful communication of secret information.
Section 3 of the Act makes it an offence if any person for any purpose prejudiced to the public
safety and the interests of the state:
o Approaches, inspects, passes over or is in the vicinity of or enters any prohibited place,
o Makes any sketch, plan, model or note which is calculated to be or-might be or is intended to
be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy, or o Obtains, collects, records or publishes or
communicates to any person such sketch, etc. In a prosecution for an offence punishable under
Section 3(1) of the Act, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 14 years.
THE PRESS AND REGISTRATION OF BOOKS ACT, 1867:
This Act was enacted with a view to evaluating the present position of books, newspapers, and
magazines in the country at any given time. The most important aspect of this Act is that every
copy of a newspaper shall contain the names of the owner, publisher, and editor printed clearly
on all the copies. The printer of every newspaper is required to deliver to the State Government
free of expense two copies of each issue of the newspaper as soon as it is published. Failure to do
so is treated as an offence.
SEA CUSTOMS ACT, 1878:
Section 8 (c) of the Act prohibits the bringing into India whether by land, or by sea "any obscene
book, pamphlet, paper, drawing, painting, representation, figure or article." These items can be
confiscated.
CONTEMPT OF COURT ACT:
Contempt of Court is one of the reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2) of the Indian
Constitution. This Act was enacted for the first time in the year 1952. Later on this was again
enacted in 1971, which was further amended in 1976.
YOUNG PERSON'S (HARMFUL PUBLICATIONS) ACT, 1956:
This Act seeks to prohibit the publication in India of such literature as glorifies crime, violence
or vice.
PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS (PROTECTION OF PUBLICATION) ACT, 1956:
This Act was enacted with a view to protecting the publications of reports of proceedings of
Parliament except in newspapers. Section 3 of the Act states that no person shall be liable to any
proceedings, civil or criminal in any court, in respect of the publication in a newspaper of
substantially true report of any proceedings of either House of Parliament, unless the publication
is proved to have made with malice.
DELIVERY OF BOOKS AND NEWSPAPERS (PUBLIC LIBRARIES) ACT, 1954:
This Act enjoins upon the publisher of every newspaper to deliver at his own expense one copy
of each issue of such newspaper as soon as it is published to each public library as may be
notified by the Central Government. Contravention of any provision of this Act
becomespunishable.
COPYRIGHT ACT, 1957:
Section 52 of this Act lays down that certain acts shall not constitute an infringement of
Copyright, such as fair use, fair quotation, bonafide abridgements and the like.
DEFENSE OF INDIA ACT, 1962:
According to Justice Mudholkar, "upon the declaration of emergency, the Parliament will
beempowered to make laws affecting the freedom of the Press. It is as if the freedom of
mediadisappears in a situation of emergency. Any law made by the Parliament, under a situation
of emergency, cannot be challenged on the ground of legislative incompetence for as long as
emergency lasts. Citizens cannot claim any protection under Article 19.Further, clause 7 of
section 3 of the Defense of India Act deals with the entire gamut ofprinting and publishing of
any newspaper or book and the imposition of Censorship.
PRESS COUNCIL OF INDIA ACT, 1965:
The Press Council of India, according to the preamble to the Press Council of India Act,
isestablished:
"For protecting the freedom of the press and maintaining and improving the standards ofboth
newspapers and news agencies”
M.V. Kamath once pointed out that it is important to remember that the Press Council of India
isnot a Court of Law. It is a Court of Honour. Its verdicts are not judicial
pronouncements.Therefore, there is no question of punishment imposed on an offending
journalist or newspaper.
By that same token the Council cannot award damages to the aggrieved party. As justice
Mudholkar put it, "The only weapon in the armory of the Press Council of India is moral
authority”. The sole strength of the Council lies in its appeal to conscience.
The power conferred by section 13 (1 A) requiring a newspaper to publish therein any particulars
relating to any enquiry under section 13 does not mean that it has any power to punish a
defaulting paper.
The experience of the British Press Council has shown that this power, if properly used and
constantly exercised, can become extremely effective. The public rebuke that the Council
administers and the moral obligation of the offending newspaper to publish its decisions operates
both as a penalty and a deterrent.
The Press Council of India Act, 1965 was later amended on 31st March 1970. The Council's
term which expired in December, 1975 was not extended during the Emergency again the Press
Council's Act was revised in 1978 which was more or less on the same lines as the Press Council
Act, 1965.
POLICE (INCITEMENT TO DISAFFECTION) ACT, 1972:
This Act penalizes any act, which causes or is likely to cause disaffection toward the
Government among the member of the police force or which induces or attempts to induce any
member of the police force to withhold his services or to commit a breach of discipline.
DRUGS AND MAGIC REMEDIES (OBJECTIONABLE ADVERTISEMENT) ACT,
1954:
The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisement) Act, 1954 was enacted to
control wrong practices in the advertisement of drugs. In certain cases, this Act is meant to
prohibit the advertisement for certain drugs for matters connected therewith.
Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act is
punishable by the Act. It takes two forms such as:
o In the case of a first conviction, with imprisonment may extend up to six months or with fine or
with both.
o In the case of a subsequent conviction, with imprisonment may extend to one year or with fine
or with both (Section 7 of the Act).
CABLE TELEVISION REGULATION ACT, 1995:
This is one of the most recent Acts. According to this Act:
o No person shall operate a cable television network unless he is registered as a cable operator
under this Act.
o No person shall transmit or re-transmit through a cable service any programme unless such
programme is in conformity with the prescribed programme code.
o Every cable operator using a dish antenna or "Television Receiver only" shall, from the
commencement of this Act, re-transmit at least two Doordarshan Channels of his choice through
the cable service. Moreover, the Doordarshan Channels referred to in sub section
(1) shall be retransmitted without any deletion or alteration of any programme transmitted on
such channels.
Whoever contravenes any of the provisions of this Act shall be punishable as under:
o For the first offence, with imprisonment for a term, which may extend to two years or with
fine, which may extend to one thousand rupees or with both.
o For every subsequent offence, with imprisonment for a term, which may extend to five years
and with fine, which may extend to five thousand rupees.
SELF-TEST QUESTIONS
S.NO Question Option (a) Option (b)
1. On 13th May 1799, Lord Wellesley True False
promulgated the First Press Regulations.
2. In 1857, a law was enacted known as the True False
"Gagging Act".
3. Under the Vernacular Press Act, 1878, True False
any District Magistrate or Police
Commissioner could demand security
from the printer and publisher
of a newspaper, forfeit such security or
confiscate any printed matter considered
objectionable
in the interest of the British Government.
4. Defence of India Act, 1962 came into True False
force during the Emergency proclaimed
in 1962
5. Under Indian Press Act, 1910 owners of True False
presses were required to tender security
deposits.
Answers: 1-(b),2-(a), 3-(a),4-(a),5-(a)
