New Delhi, Sep 14: The Indian Journalists Union (IJU) has moved the Supreme Court seeking intervention in the Anuradha Bhasin Writ Petition that had been filed challenging the on-going communications lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir.
IJU Secretary General Sabina Inderjit filed an Intervention Application (IA) in the apex court on Wednesday to put forth the views of the working journalists who happen to be the worst suffers of the information lockdown in J&K, particularly the Kashmir Valley.  A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi is to hear the case on Monday, 16 September. Earlier the Press Council of India filed an IA in the case contending that national security and integrity of the country were paramount and media should function within reasonable restrictions, which drew flak from IJU, eminent editors and other journalists’ organisations. 
In its IA, IJU has contended that the ‘lockdown’ in Jammu and Kashmir has extinguished the constitutionally guaranteed rights of freedom of expression and speech of journalists. It said the so-called facilities extended to the journalists to file stories by email and telephones from the Media Centre were not secure and could lead to compromise of the journalists’ sources. It also contended that current information blackout had negatively impacted the right to information of the common people of the country, violating their fundamental rights. 
Denial of accurate information through accredited press organisations reporting from the ground is especially problematic and dangerous since there have been several instances of fake and inaccurate reports being spread through social media about the ground situation in Kashmir, IJU said. IJU PR

---

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List