Editors Guild seeks review of new criminal laws, says could be used against journalists
New Delhi (PTI): The Editors Guild of India has sought a review of the new criminal justice laws that were implemented this month, contending that their provisions could potentially be used against journalists.
In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the guild has said over the years and under successive governments, many provisions under criminal laws, the "so-called" offensive-speech laws in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) -- sections 153A, 153B, 295A, 298, 502 and 505 -- have been liberally used to file FIRs against journalists whose reporting has been critical of the establishment.
"This has been done by governments across states and party lines," the guild has said in its letter to Shah dated July 29.
The guild has suggested an additional level of review before a criminal complaint is registered against a journalist.
"It is our strong belief that there is a need for a deep consultation and formulation of some set of guidelines for regulating prosecutions against members of the press/media for actions in the course of their duty," it has said.
The guild has said a complaint against a journalist should be reviewed by a high-ranking police officer and the same may be brought to the notice of the Press Council of India for its views.
It has also said the newly-notified criminal laws further expand the powers of the law-enforcement agencies, which is a cause of greater concern.
"Now, with the notification of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) to replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 respectively, we feel there is even greater cause of concern," the guild has said in its letter to the home minister.
It has pointed out that between 2019 and 2023, a slew of legislation has been passed by Parliament, dramatically expanding the reach of criminal laws by way of amendments to existing laws or by introducing new statutes outright.
"The reason we are specifically raising these is because we fear all these provisions can be potentially used against journalists, as has been the case in the past under IPC as well as CrPC," the guild has said.
It has requested for a thorough review of the criminal laws from this perspective and offered itself for substantive consultation on the issue.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
