By means of PTI
NEW DELHI: The Indian Girls’s Press Corps (IWPC) on Wednesday expressed fear over the accommodation of an FIR in opposition to senior journalist Navika Kumar in Maharashtra, announcing she has been booked for “objectionable” statements made no longer by way of her however a visitor in her TV display.
In a remark, the journalist frame famous with fear a upward thrust in FIRs in opposition to reporters and mentioned indiscriminate use of presidency energy to criminalise journalistic job posed “a major risk to press freedom”.
If reporters are anticipated to be considered whilst exercising their freedom as a result of the phenomenal affect on public opinion, the crucial at the central and state governments in addition to their businesses to be considered in exercising their super energy in opposition to reporters “is even larger,” the IWPC mentioned.
A Maharashtra Police professional mentioned on Tuesday that TV journalist Kumar has been named in an FIR registered in Parbhani district in opposition to now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who had allegedly made objectionable remarks in opposition to Prophet Mohammad all through a information debate hosted by way of Kumar.
The First Data Record was once registered at Nanalpeth police station on a grievance filed on Monday by way of a Muslim cleric who accused Sharma and Kumar of aspiring to outrage spiritual emotions, the professional mentioned.
“Instances Now anchor Navika Kumar and Nupur Sharma are booked below segment 295-A (Planned and malicious acts, meant to outrage spiritual emotions of any elegance by way of insulting its faith or spiritual ideals) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” the police professional mentioned, including investigation of the case was once underway.
“The Indian Girls’s Press Corps expresses fear on the spate of the FIRs in opposition to reporters with the most recent being Navika Kumar for objectionable statements made no longer by way of her however any person else in a tv debate she was once anchoring,” the journalist frame mentioned in its remark.
Whilst there can also be no query that the Charter and constitutional values need to be upheld fairly than undermined whilst exercising the constitutionally assured freedom of expression, indiscriminate use of presidency energy to criminalise journalistic job additionally poses a major risk to press freedom, which is an crucial component of the liberty of expression, the IWPC added.