National Press Day

 National Press Day

"Freedom of the press is a precious privilege that no country can forgo" - Mahatma Gandhi.

After independence, India needed to work on many aspects, and one of them was a free press. Thus, to create awareness among people about ongoing events in all states of India and important decisions of the nation, a free press was necessary. Therefore, to study the status of the press in India, the First Press Commission was established in 1952. It recommended the formation of a press council. Thus, in 1965, the Press Council Act was formed, and on its basis, the Press Council of India was established on 4th July 1966 and started functioning on November 16, 1966. Thus, ensuring the importance of a free and independent press in our country, National Press Day is celebrated on 16th November every year.

The press is an important bridge between people and the government. It exposes various misdeeds of the government and keeps it in check. It spreads information about what is happening in the country and all over the world. It reaches people whose problems are not reaching the government. It also exposes fake news running on the internet.

A democracy without a free press cannot exist as it allows journalists to work without interference from the government or any other illegal factor. Thus, it is the fourth pillar of democracy. The press played an important role in criticizing the unjust rules of the Britishers in India during the Indian freedom struggle. It also spread feelings of patriotism in the country and why it is important to be an independent nation.

Though the press has a very positive impact on our day-to-day life, the current situation of the Indian press is in tension. The Indian press ranked 161 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index (2023). This tension increases as journalists are openly insulted by politicians continuously. The way the press praises the Supreme leader and the questions asked to politicians like "Do you carry a wallet with you for money?" is disturbing. Also, giving no attention to serious problems like 'RRB NTPC students protest' were the press paid attention when the protest converted into violence.

There are various factors responsible for this condition of the press. One of them is Paid News, where news organizations accept money and cover the promotion of an individual, company, and even various agendas. This leads to misinformation and hides the reality.

Another factor is Takeover by the Corporate Sector (for example, Adani holding 64.71% shares of NDTV). Corporate ownership can lead to various problems like the independence of the press being compromised, biased reporting, selective coverage, neglecting the ongoing which are unfavorable to the corporate owner. Cross Media Holding is another factor leading to unfavorable work of the press. Here, a single press body controls the ownership of multiple types of media outlets like newspapers, radio, television channels, etc. This can lead to the concentration of a single perspective, idea, and monopoly of that particular body. Thus, different perspectives will not reach people.

Another and the most important factor is Political Pressure. We have a popular example of emergency in India (1975) where the freedom of the press was openly restricted. In the current context, the Indian media Lokniti and Centre for the Study of Developing Societies survey over half the journalists surveyed said that they have a fear of losing their job due to political leanings. Political interference leads to the loss of ethics in the news.

It shows that there is a need for a legal framework for the protection of journalists from harassment and fair press organization. There should be transparency in the ownership of the press bodies to keep a check on influence and concentration of power to avoid cross-media holding. Also, supporting reliable digital media platforms is important. It is important to conduct a timely review of the Press Council's work, and changes should be made according to challenges. Campaigns are needed to educate the public about the importance of a free press and to analyze the news. There should be a body in the Press Council to report illegal practices in the press industry.

However, along with these problems, the Indian press has bright works like media has played an important role in the 'Hathras Rape Case'. Today, channels like 'Rajya Sabha TV' are helpful to common people. Some news reporters are trusted all over India due to their fearless and unbiased opinions and news. Without media, it is truly impossible to imagine our democracy.

- Shravani Surve. 

National Legal Services Day

 National Legal Services Day

“Although I am a typical loner in my daily life, my awareness of belonging to the invisible community of those who strive for truth, beauty, and justice has prevented me from feeling isolated." Albert Einstein

Justice is a very broad concept, largely speaking about providing fair and equal treatment to every individual. Justice is done by framing a set of rules and regulations and an authority to protect them. In India, the judiciary is given the authority to protect the rules and regulations written down in the Indian constitution. It also looks after the rights of people. The preamble in the constitution clearly states that the state will secure social, economic, and political justice for all its citizens. The Indian judiciary is independent and thus known for its delivery of fair justice. This is the reason that people have faith in the judiciary and its courts. But, over time, the cost of obtaining justice has increased, thus making it difficult for people from the most vulnerable sections of society to ask for justice. The government realised this problem and came up with a solution for it. In 1976, equal justice and free legal aid were made part of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) under Article 39A. In 1987, the government passed the Legal Services Authority Act. This act was brought into force on November 9, 1995, and since then, National Legal Services Day has been celebrated on this day.

Under the act, the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) was constituted, which aimed to provide free legal services to the weaker sections of society and to organise Lok Adalat’s amicable settlement of disputes. The authority is headed by the Chief Justice of India. Further, there are various committees at the state, district, and taluka levels. There are different committees for the Supreme Court and the High Court as well. Providing free legal aid and advice, spreading legal awareness, organising lok adalats, promoting settlements of disputes, and providing compensation to victims of crime are the services provided by these legal services authorities. They receive funds from the government for providing these services. Providing free legal aid is one of the most important services among these. There are some criteria for availing of free legal aid. Another important function of the NALSA is the Lok Adalat, which is an alternative dispute redressal mechanism. It doesn’t give verdicts but instead makes a settlement or a compromise between the two parties. Also, on National Legal Services Day, legal awareness camps are held by state legal services authorities across the country to apprise people about the availability of free legal aid. Further, nationwide programmes are organised every year to make people aware of the various services provided by legal services ganizations. In order to monitor the performance of the legal services authorities, NALSA receives monthly activity reports from all the State Legal Services Authorities (SLSAs), highlighting all the activities carried out in a particular month. Apart from monthly activity reports, NALSA also receives annual reports from all the SLSAs and prepares its own annual report, which is laid before both Houses of the Parliament of India.

In recent times, NALSA has faced challenges like lack of funds, shortage of qualified legal professionals, complexity in legal procedures, lack of legal awareness, social stigma, inaccessibility to legal aid, and a large number of pending cases. Promoting the legal services authorities is immensely important in a country like India, as a lot of people from the most vulnerable sections of society, even if they are oppressed, are reluctant to approach the judicial system for justice. Sometimes, they aren’t able to approach the judiciary due to their financial conditions. To provide justice to everybody, it is necessary to promote such steps by the government. And to optimise NALSA's efforts, a collaborative effort between government institutions and civil society is crucial, ensuring a more inclusive and effective delivery of legal aid services to those in need.

      - Ashmit Gupte.