(Amitabh Pandey)

Our India is one of the biggest democratic republic countries in the world. India follows democratic form of government to run the administrative systems of the country.
The four main pillars on which democracy rests are the Judiciary, the Executive, the Legislature as well as the Press.
The press or media is an integral part of democracy.
       For a better democracy, freedom of the press has been given great importance in the Indian Constitution.
        Article 19 (1) A of the Indian Constitution has given freedom of speech and freedom of expression to every citizen.
According to this article, many important rights have been given to the press. These include the right to publish factual news, the right to receive and disseminate information, the right to advertise, the right to express and publicize public opinion regarding government policies, rules and their implementation.
 Moreover, the Indian Constitution has also given the right to express consent and disagreement to the press media. Press is an institution that collects information of public interest, analyzes it, disseminates it among the common public, and encourages discussion and reflection among the general public on government schemes.
 For a strong democracy, freedom of the press is a right that the government and society should always care about. For this, the efforts made every now and then by the government are commendable.
 It is necessary for both the government as well as the society to be committed to the freedom of the press, because it has its own significance in the development of our nation.
It is important to note here that the civil organizations and NGOs are timely conducting many activities in this regard.

Indian democratic system cannot be considered a complete unit without the inclusion of free press. For a healthy democracy, citizens should have freedom of press, freedom of individual rights, freedom of expression and freedom to unbiased elections because these make our democracy robust.

In democracy, free press makes the government responsible and accountable. Interestingly,  the press has been important in India since ancient times. During the colonial period, the press strongly expressed its views against English slavery.

All of us are aware of the contribution of press in the freedom struggle. The newspapers - Amrit Bazaar Patrika, Bengal Gazette, Hindustan Times, Pratap Payame Azadi etc raised their voice strongly against the British rule. Through the Vernacular Press Act of 1878, British Viceroy Lord Lytton tried to suppress the Indian press but this act faced a lot of opposition. The Indian press brought all its citizens under one umbrella to fight for and contribute in freedom struggle. This unity contributed in liberating the country from British rule.

Freedom of the press strengthens the democratic system. Journalists review, investigate, report and analyze the actions and schemes of government . They highlight the success and failure of government schemes.
        Press media mainly plays the role of informing citizens about current events of National and International importance, contemporary activities and creating awareness about public welfare schemes and social issues.


In this regard, senior journalist Ashok Navratna, who is a past member of the Press Council of India, says,
"A free press monitors the operation of power by the government and other powerful institutions and publishes and broadcasts news about its use and abuse. Due to this, the activities that are contrary to the rule of law are curbed."
Shri Navratna believes that the medium of press helps in preventing corruption, violation of human rights and other anti-people activities.

Freedom of press encourages transparency in desicion making process of government. If there is a breach of code of conduct at government level, press highlights this shortcoming as well.
Ashok Navratna, National General Secretary of All India Small and Medium Newspapers Federation.
Said that for the freedom of the press, the Government of India should implement the recommendations of the First and Second Press Commission. These recommendations have been waiting for implementation for the last several years. At present, it seems very necessary to constitute the Third Press Commission to solve the problems of newspapers and journalists.
It is noteworthy that India is a country of many dialects ​​and diverse cultures.
Here, press ensures that everyone gets an opportunity to express their views and opinions.
A free press protects the fundamental rights of the Indian citizens, including the right to freedom and the right to know. It improves the democratic system by supporting the rights of individuals and groups.

On a global level, press has always worked on enhancing the India's prestige. According to Shri Navratna, in order to strengthen the freedom of the press in India, many such government bodies have been created in our democratic system which ensure the freedom of the press.

Among these, it is necessary to mention the Press Council of India, which was established in the year 1978.
 It is an independent governing body that works to protect and promote freedom of the press and ethical standards of journalism.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is also working to improve press freedom and transparency in India. Along with this, organizations like News Broadcasters and Digital Organization, Editors Guild of India are also playing their roles in addressing the issues related to the rights and responsibilities of the press and the journalists.
The Indian judiciary also plays an important role in maintaining the freedom of the press.
 For this, many such decisions have been given by the court from time to time through which freedom of the press has been ensured.
In this regard, it is necessary to mention the case of Sakal Papers vs. Union of India of the year 1962 in which the Supreme Court had ruled that the State cannot make laws which directly violate the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under the Constitution. This is the reason that in the Indian democratic system, the trust of the general public on the press has always been increasing and the press has expressed the views of the general public in its news.

The independent press has always played its role in strengthening democracy.
The role of the press in the Indian democratic system is to monitor the actions of the government and to make public the reactions of the citizens regarding them.

The press does the work of motivating the general public for nation building.
 Journalists in our country are playing an active and impartial role in strengthening democracy.
 The press has always worked to disseminate appropriate information and necessary education to the general public.
Along with protecting democracy, it is playing its role for transparent administration and accountable government.

Press promotes and broadcasts the basic principle of independence among public.

On May 3, India will be celebrating World Press Day along with other countries of the world. This day is celebrated to honor the freedom of the press and underline its importance.
 Through this day we celebrate upholding the fundamental principles of freedom of the press. Everyone has understood and accepted the importance of press in a democratic system. Our governments have always been committed to the protection of the press.


            It is believed that in the years to come, the press and media will continue to contribute to strengthening the democratic system through their impartial and transparent role.

Writer is a Freelance Journalist.
Contact : 9424466269

Source : Agency