In its petition, The Caravan has underlined that the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting’s order asking the magazine to take down its article on allegations of torture and murder against the Indian Army also violated the fundamental right to free speech and expression and the freedom of the press.
New Delhi: The Delhi Press Patra Prakashan has filed a writ petition in the Delhi high court on Wednesday, March 13 seeking quashing of the Union government’s order to take down The Caravan’s article on allegations of torture and murder against the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.
In its petition, The Caravan has underlined that the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting’s order violated the fundamental right to free speech and expression and the freedom of the press under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India and the right to equality under Article 14.
The procedure adopted by the ministry also violated the principles of natural justice as The Caravan was not provided a copy of the complaint, or the allegations made therein, the petitioner wrote.
Further, The Caravan pointed out that the impugned order failed to show any incorrectness or error in the article in question but only ordered removal based on “its incorrect subjective reading”. It also noted that the order was devoid of any reasoning and could not show how its claim that the piece had negative impact on communal harmony, sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the state or public order was valid.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
