Chhattisgarh Assembly Passes Bill For Protection Of Mediapersons Aimed At Protection Against Abuse & Violence

The Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly has passed the ‘Chhattisgarh Mediapersons Protection Bill 2023’ this Wednesday, which aims at providing protection to media professionals against abuse and violence.

The bill was tabled in the House for discussion by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. The CM applauded the event as ‘historic’ and pivotal for maintaining freedom of media. Although, BJP MLAs opposed the bill and made the demand to send it to the Select Committee of the assembly which further got rejected by Speaker Charandas Mahant.

As the bill passed, CM Baghel emphasized on the purpose of the step, i.e. preventing violence against mediapersons, discharging duties in Chhattisgarh and ensuring the protection to properties of media persons and media institutions, as per a report in India Today.

The current ruling party of Chhattisgarh, the Congress promised in its manifesto of 2018 assembly elections that a new law will be passed ensuring protection for journalists in the state.

‘Chhattisgarh Mediapersons Protection Bill 2023’

The bill has clearly defined the term of ‘mediaperson’ to lay down the eligibility for the registration of mediapersons under this law.

A media person or media professional needs to be residing in Chhattisgarh and having an experience of at least one year in journalism to be eligible for registration under this law.

The next parameter for a person is publication of six articles or news as a writer or co-writer in a media institution on current incidents in the last three months or if received a minimum of three payments from media organisations for compiling news in the last six months.

A person can be claimed as a media person to be eligible to attain security against outrage and harassment under the bill is the one who has taken photographs that have been published in a media institution three times in the last three months or a person accredited by the Government as a journalist or a person who has been declared as a media person by a media organisation as its employee.

The comprehensive definition of a Mediaperson is to be defined as any employee or representative of a media institution including an editor, writer, news editor, deputy editor, feature writer, correspondent, copy editor, communicator, cartoonist, news photographer, video journalist, translator, train journalist, news gatherer or independent journalists.

Penalty For Intimidation & Violence

The government will further constitute a committee which will be known as the ‘Chhattisgarh Media Freedom, Protection and Promotion Committee’ within 90 days of the enactment of the Act, which will also act as authority for the registration of media persons. It will address complaints related to the protection of media persons, which include harassment, intimidation, violence or false allegations and arrest of media persons.

The Chairman of the committee will be a retired administrative/police service officer not below the level of secretary rank in the state government, respectively.

Under the sections of punishment, if a private person is the cause of violence, harassment, or intimidation of a media person, the committee, after examining the case and hearing both parties, can impose a penalty of Rs 25,000 against the perpetrator.

On the other hand, if any company is the cause of intimidation, torture or violence of a media person, then a fine of ₹10,000 will be imposed after examination of the case and hearing of both parties by the committee. If any person tries to create hindrances in the registration of eligible media persons then a penalty of ₹ 25,000 will be imposed on the concerned person after hearing of both parties by the committee.

The CM of Chhattisgarh stated that “act of violence causes injury or danger to the life of media persons and damage and loss of property of mediapersons or media institutions may create unrest in the state”. Thus, the bill can act as a stepping stone towards legally protecting the well-being and professional liberty of media against adverse forces.

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