The Editors’ Guild of India on Sunday said the Karnataka Assembly’s decision to sentence two journalists to prison for alleged defamation was a violation of the right to free speech. It also urged the Assembly to withdraw its resolution soon.
“The Guild opines that the decision violates the Fundamental Right of Freedom of Speech guaranteed under the Indian Constitution and the Freedom of the Press,” it said. “It is a gross misuse of the powers and privileges of a state legislature.”
On June 22, Karnataka Assembly Speaker KB Koliwad had imposed a one-year jail term and a fine of Rs 10,000 each on Anil Raj and Ravi Belagere, the editors of two local tabloids that had allegedly published defamatory articles on two MLAs. Raj of Yalahanka Voice had published an article on BJP MLA Vishwanath, while Belagere of Kannada weekly Hi Bangalore had published an article on Shiraguppa Congress MLA Nagaraj.
Indian law allows for the Parliament and state legislatures to impose punishments for “breach of privilege” for acts deemed to interfere with their work.
Earlier, Amnesty International India had condemned the Assembly’s order and asked them to withdraw the resolution. “Journalists must have the freedom to write critical articles, and politicians must be able to tolerate criticism,” Asmita Basu, Programmes Director at Amnesty International India, had said on June 23. “If individuals feel that their reputations have been affected, they can take recourse to civil defamation remedies in court.”
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