The Indian press evolved greatly after independence in 1947. Newspaper circulation rose as more publications emerged in various forms like group publications owned across centers. Technical developments also improved printing capabilities. However, some challenges to press freedom emerged like the Press Act of 1951 that criminalized certain types of content. The Press Commission was formed in 1952 to examine issues around the press. Emergency rule in 1975 under Indira Gandhi was a dark period where hundreds of journalists were arrested and foreign reporters were expelled or banned. Commissions later examined the excesses of that time. Press freedom in India is still developing with some regulations around sensitive content.

1. INDIAN PRESS AFTER FREEDOM
D.V.KUSUMALATHA

2. • Clipped from the printing press
• A printing or published establishment
• The art, business or practice of printing
• Newspapers, magazines, News services etc, in general or the persons who write
them ; journalism or journalist
Press

3. The press as a medium of expression, publicity, criticism etc.,
• In relation to an individual ( involving defamation)
• In relation to state ( involving sedition, incitement to offence)
• In relation to court ( involving contempt of court)
• In relation to parliament ( affecting privileges of parliament)
• In relation to the public in general ( involving public order, decency)
Press

4. The year 1947 was a year of great fulfilment, it witnessed the end of foreign rule and attainment of
freedom.

6. The evolution of Indian press from the obscure beginnings in the days of East Indian
company up to the present has striking features of its own.
Equally significant has been the development of press on the technical side., the character of the
newspaper ownership changed fast.

7. • publication of more than one
newspaper under common
ownership from the centre.
Group
publications
• publication of more than one
newspaper under common ownership
from more than one centre.
Chain
publications
• It has been described as voluntary
aggrement by an owner to limit his
soverignity in the public interest.
Trust
publications

8. • In the post independence period, newspaper circulation rose and touched record
levels for many dailies and weeklies.in order to cope up with the matter of paper
lead to the starting of factories in india.
• The Nepa mills at Nepangar near Nagpur started production in 1956 with a
production capacity of 120 tons per day.
• Copies of newspaper were sent by air to centres which could be reached more
quickly by plane. A rebate of 25% on the regular air freights was granted to
newspapers by the air-transport companies.
• Feature writing which was hardly an activity of Indian journalism got an impetus.

9. Encouragement was given to personalised columns.
Columns were popularised through their facile pens.
Bhanu Simha
Chanakya Kuvempu
(Kuppalli Venkatappa Puttappa)

10. • It was one of the darkest days of history of
the world-Friday January,30,1948.
• The madras mail was the first evening
newspaper in india to announce the
unexpected end of the mahatma.
• The Tainadu (kannada daily): “world
mourns Gandhi death”
• The Prabhat (Marathi daily) : humanity’s
light is put out: the whole world is in
darkness”
Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi

11. The most interesting development was the formation of the Press Trust India in 1949.
The PTI has the longest tele printer link in India and is one of the biggest news agencies in Asia.
India became the founder member of international press institute , Zurich, Swizterland.
On January 1950, the constitution of India came force.
Articles 13 and 19 of the Indian constitution guarantee the rights and proclaim the freedom of
press in India.
13-
a)all laws……inconsistent with………fundamental rights shall to the extent of such inconsistency be
void.
b) The state shall not make any law which takes away or bridges (fundamental) rights.
19-
All citizens have the right to freedom of speech and expression.

12. The press act of 1951 was promogulated
“ to provide against the printing and publication of matter which is scurrilous or obscene or matter
likely to encourage violence or sabotage for the purpose of undermining the government established
by law in India; or encourage murder, sabotage or violence or incite any person to interfere with the
supply and distribution of essential commodities or services; or seduce any member of the earned
forces from his duty; or promote feelings of enmity between different sections of the people of India.
Fine could be imposed on offenders to the tune of rs.2000 and in default six months imprisonment
was the penalty.
On October 23, 1951 Nehru got new Act passed called
“The Press Objectionable Matters Act”.

13. The passage of this act brought protest from editors and journalists throughout India.
Delegations and protests were made to Nehru and other members of the Government.
In order to quiet the journalists, Nehru, in October1952, announced the formation of the
Press Commission composed of distinguished personalities to look into the whole issue
of the press in India.

14. On October 13,1952 the government of India appointed a commission headed by justice G.S.
Radhyaksha of the Bombay high court for “ making an inquiry into the state of the press in India”.
The commission was to examine in particular
 The control and financial structure of newspapers
 The accuracy of news and the fairness of views
 The distribution of advertisements and development of healthy journalism
 Newsprint supplies and the promotion of indigenous manufacturers of newsprint and printing
machinery
 The liaison between government and press.
The press commission

15. Mrs. Gandhi got the opportunity to curb the press when war declared with Pakistan in 1971.
On December 4th the Defence and Internal Security of India Act was signed into law.
• It prohibited the printing or publishing of any newspaper, book or other document
detrimental to the defence and security of India;
• It provided for the demand of security from any newspaper or publisher or the forfeiture
of security already given;
• It empowered the Government to confiscate copies of any printed matter which might be
inflammatory and to close down the presses;
• It empowered the state and local Governments to impose censorship.

16. Declaration of internal emergency on June 26, 1975.
The emergency lasted for 19 months and this period is considered to be the darkest period
in the post independence history of the freedom of the press

17. There were two Commissions set up by the Government after Emergency to enquire into
excesses related to the press.
According to the Das Commission
Report, 253 journalists were arrested
during the state of Emergency.
• Fifty-one journalists and cameramen
were deprived of accreditation,
• Seven foreign correspondents were
expelled from the country and
• Twenty-nine foreign correspondents
were banned from entering India.
Shah Commission’s findings
• The Government resorted to cutting off the electricity
of newspaper offices on June 26, the day after the
emergency was proclaimed in order to buy time to set
up the apparatus of the censorship.
• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ordered a
study of the newspapers over the six month period
preceding the emergency in order to determine each
newspaper’s attitude to Government and to penalize it
accordingly

18. Press regulations in India

20. Others regulations

22. Freedom of press has three essential
elements. They are:
1. freedom of access to all sources of
information,
2. Freedom of publication, and
3. Freedom of circulation.

23. Thank you