Depriving Small Newspapers Journalists Of Benefit Of Accreditation Without Reason Is Arbitrary: Telangana HC Quashes Schedule In Media Accreditation Rules
The Telangana High Court quashed Schedule E in Telangana Media Accreditation Rules, 2016 while observing that in absence of explanation depriving the journalists working in small newspapers at the district and constituency levels of the benefit of accreditation is arbitrary and cannot be justified.
The Court was hearing a Writ Petition that challenged the validity of a Schedule in Media Accreditation Rules that categorised small newspapers into different categories for accreditation purposes.
The bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Sreenivas Rao observed, “In the absence of any explanation on behalf of the respondents, depriving the journalists working in small newspapers at the district and constituency levels of the benefit of accreditation is arbitrary and cannot be termed as justified.”
Advocate Chikkudu Prabhakar appeared for the Appellant and Special Government Pleader S. Rahul Reddy appeared for the Respondents.
Brief Facts-
The petitioners were journalists employed by various small newspapers in Telangana. They challenged the validity of a schedule that categorised small newspapers into A, B, C, and D categories for accreditation purposes. The petitioners filed the present Writ Petition on the ground that this categorization violates Articles 14, 16, 19, and 21 of the Constitution of India and unfairly restricts accreditation benefits for journalists at district and constituency levels in categories C and D.
The Court perused Telangana Media Accreditation Rules, 2016 and observed that the Rules nowhere prescribed that the journalists working in small newspapers should be divided into four categories.
The Court noted that the respondents did not give any explanation for dividing the journalists working in small newspapers into four categories and depriving them of the benefit of accreditation.
The Court said that in the absence of any provision in the policy itself, the action of the respondents in depriving the journalists working at the district level and constituency level of the benefit of accreditation cannot be said to be justified.
Accordingly, the Court quashed Schedule E of the 2016 Rules.
The Court directed the State Government to frame the guidelines for extending the benefit of accreditation to the journalists working in small newspapers at district and constituency levels based on fair and rational criteria.
Finally, the Court disposed of the Petition.
Cause Title: Thatikonda Krishna v. Principal Secretary, Information and Public Relations Department