Media may feel ‘draconian’ UPCOCA’s pinch

Lucknow, Dec 22: While Opposition parties have a reason to worry over the passage of the ‘draconian’ Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime (Act) Bill (UPCOCA), observers feel that the media, too, will feel the pinch once the law is enacted and enforced.

Law and media experts are of the view that provisions of the proposed law would prevent the media from publishing anything on organised crime without permission from a competent authority, which, in this case, would be the police department.
Questions are being asked about UPCOCA’s utility as observers feel that laws, with almost similar provisions, already existed for curbing crimes.
“The need of the hour for UP Government is to go in for police reforms rather than a new law because UPCOCA has the potential to be misused,” senior criminal lawyer IB Singh said.
Experts say the provisions of the Bill bring media under the purview of the Act, which means that journalists would need permission from competent authorities before publishing anything on organised crime. Whether permission would be granted is a matter worth conjecturing!
The provisions in the proposed law, according to experts, are so harsh that they could penalise even journalists for writing about criminal gangs. The new law says: “… passing on or publication of, without any lawful authority, any information likely to assist organised crime syndicate and the passing on or publication of or distribution of any document or matter obtained from the organised crime syndicate.”
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ram Govind Choudhury alleged that the Act was similar to what was enforced during the Emergency of 1975-77 to curb the rights of the fourth estate.
“This law will certainly put the media in such a position that for the fear of being jailed they will not be able to report any wrongdoing of the government in the event of implication of politicians or others in the name of organised crime,” Choudhury claimed. UNI