Freedom of the Press - India (2002)
| Publisher | Freedom House |
| Publication Date | 22 April 2002 |
| Cite as | Freedom House, Freedom of the Press - India (2002), 22 April 2002, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4734505d19.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Status: Partly Free
Legal Environment: 15
Political Influences: 16
Economic Pressures: 11
Total Score: 42
Population: n/a
GNI/capita: n/a
Life Expectancy: 61
Religious Groups: n/a
Ethnic Groups: Indo-Aryan (72 percent), Dravidian (25 percent), other (3 percent)
Capital: New Delhi
Despite numerous restraints, the English-language newspapers were vigorous and the vernacular press widely diversified. Using the Official Secrets Act, the government occasionally censored security-related articles. Journalists opposed a cabinet bill on communication introduced in July that would empower an autonomous commission to "intercept and monitor" press messages, data, or information intended for publication. The state-owned All India Radio has a dominant hold on broadcasting, but India's first private FM radio station was launched in July. The government maintains a monopoly on domestic television, though foreign satellite broadcasts are available. Authorities occasionally beat, detain, and harass journalists in the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir. In May, members of the Border Security Force assaulted seventeen journalists, and an editor and three employees of the weekly Chattan were beaten in their office by members of the security forces in August. Detentions of local journalists in the northeastern states are also common. Police arrested an editor in Sikkim for "disturbing harmonious relations," and detained two foreign journalists in Assam. Tax officials ransacked the Bombay office of Outlook, an independent news magazine. Following the March expose of official corruption by the Internet news portal tehelka.com, a successful securities house which had invested in the website was accused by several government departments of a number of tax and regulatory infractions and effectively prevented from doing business despite a lack of evidence of any wrongdoing. The government also threatened to severely punish those found guilty of breaking the law while conducting undercover operations as a function of investigative journalism.