The Hindu Business Line : AP order enables action against media

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Hyderabad Feb. 22 In an unusual move, the Andhra Pradesh Government on Thursday empowered the Special Commissioner, Information and Public Relations, to lodge a complaint and file defamation cases against media publishers and editors and initiate legal action.

A Government Order dated February 20, 2007 released on Thursday said the Special Public Prosecutor could initiate action against the publishers and editors who publish/telecast news items which are false, baseless and defamatory in nature to the Government. The `Media Watch' chaired by the Chief Minister reviews certain news items published/telecast in print/electronic media with the ulterior motive of tarnishing the image of the Government.

Therefore, orders are being issued from time to time, in exercise of the powers to take appropriate action.

In some instances, Secretaries are sending formal requests for filing defamation cases regarding the news item published/telecast while other Secretaries, unaware of the news item being published/telecast, were sometimes not responding in time, hence the cases are delayed, the GO, issued by the State Chief Secretary, Mr J. Harinarayan, said.

The State Government has in the GO accorded permission to the Special Commissioner, Information and Public Relations, to forward defamation cases for legal action.

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