New Delhi: Concerned over increasing attacks on mediapersons, the Press Council of India (PCI) has demanded enactment of a law which would make violence – whether physical or verbal, against journalists a cognisable offence with stringent punishment.
The Council also wants the government to ensure that all cases of attacks on journalists shall be referred to Special Courts and the trial be completed within one year of filing of chargesheet.
These are recommendations of a report prepared by a PCI sub-committee on safety of journalists, which has been adopted by the council, PCI Chairman Justice (Retd) Chandramauli Kumar Prasad told reporters here.
The PCI also wants that November 3 to be proclaimed as the 'National Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists'.
Prasad also said that it has been decided that PCI would now take up matters related to attack on electronic journalists and not just those belonging to the print media as was earlier done.
The PCI decision has been taken in the backdrop of concern over recent cases of violence against journalists including the fatal attack on Jegendra Singh in UP.
Among other recommendations of the PCI sub-committee are that all cases of attacks on journalists should be probed by a special task force under the supervision of PCI of India or Court and investigation be completed within one month.
Whenever a journalist is murdered, the case should be referred to CBI or any other national level investigative agency and investigation completed within three months, the committee has suggested.
Any case against a journalist or an editor should be booked only after getting clearance from the DGP, as is the practice in Madhya Pradesh, it added.
Emphasising that safety of journalists was a matter of great concern for the PCI, Prasad who is a former judge of the Supreme Court said that it was felt that penal provisions need to be made stiffer to safeguard them.
The sub-committee report was presented by its Member-Convenor K Amarnath and member Rajeev Ranjan Nag, officials said adding that eight other PCI members had also been a part of the sub-committee.
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