The confrontation between the Hawkers Association and the state police on June 30 last in the Police Bazar area also led to an altercation between the owner of a pharmacy and hawkers in front of whose establishment they had established their trade. Following this, the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) a banned militant outfit currently in talks with Government of India, sent out a press release admonishing and threatening the pharmacy owner and his family with dire consequences for daring to take issue with hawkers who are indigenous to Meghalaya and rightful owners of the land. The pharmacy is probably one of the oldest in the area. The HNLC had, as usual, issued a press release to this effect in the name of Winner H Mark, its publicity secretary. The name is probably a pseudonym.
On May 27, 2015, the High Court of Meghalaya had taken up a suo-moto case against banned militant organisations issuing a bandh call after it found that the district courts and government establishments were paralysed as their staff were unable to report for duties on account of the intimidatory nature of the bandh call by the HNLC. The then DGP, Rajiv Mehta was summoned to give his side of the story and he agreed that without the media publishing news of a bandh call the public would have no information about it. As such the Meghalaya High Court banned all media from carrying out any release related to bandh calls by any group and more so a banned outfit. It stated upfront that any attempt by any media house to violate the order would amount to contempt of court. Most newspapers and electronic media outlets did not carry the recent HNLC release although it was not related to a bandh call. Some however did on the plea that the release was intimidatory in nature and if not carried and should some untoward incident befall the person/persons against whom the threat was levelled at, then the media would be held accountable for dereliction of duty.
It may be mentioned that the Meghalaya Editors and Publishers’ Association (MEPA) had in 2016 approached the apex court which rejected the appeal and directed the Association to go to the Meghalaya High Court. The MEPA had to withdraw the petition with costs amounting to Rs 2000. [Case no MC (WP(C)] No.78 of 2016]. MEPA was directed to deposit the amount with the Director of Social Welfare, Government of Meghalaya for the benefits of the inmates of Juvenile Home within thirty days. MEPA was required to produce the receipt of such deposit in the Court Registry within sixty days.The ambiguity surrounding the Meghalaya High Court order needs to be dispelled. Should the media discard all news from a banned militant outfit or should the media only disregard news related to bandh calls? The High Court of Meghalaya needs to clarify this point to avoid any ambivalence. The duty of the media is to inform and if such information which is unrelated to bandh calls is withheld merely because it is issued by a banned outfit, then is not press freedom a casualty?
