Shillong, April 5: The Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed central government’s decision to deny MediaOne, a Malayalam news channel, security clearance and pulled up the Union Home Ministry for raising a national security justification out of thin air. A bench chaired by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud stated that criticism by a media organisation cannot be characterised as anti-establishment.
The CJI-led court ruled that the Center cannot assert total immunity from investigative findings where such reports affect individuals’ and entities’ legal rights. The bench stated, “National security can’t be raised to deny people their rights…it was raised by the MHA in a cavalier matter in the case”.
According to the Apex Court, the State cannot place unjustifiable limits on the press because doing so would have a “chilling effect” on free speech and the press. The bench declared, “Press has a duty to speak truth to power.”
“The critical views of the channel MediaOne on policies of the government cannot be termed anti-establishment. The use of such a terminology in itself represents an expectation that the press must support the establishment,” the Supreme Court said.
