The Narendra Modi government at the Center is preparing to bring digital media under the ambit of laws. If the amended law is approved, digital news websites may face action for violating the rules. According to reports, this includes fines and cancellation of registration of news websites. The government can bring this bill in the monsoon session of Parliament starting next week.
According to the report of NDTV, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has started the process of amending the registration of the Press and Periodicals Bill to include news on digital media through any electronic medium in its purview. In the new law of registration of media, digital news websites are also being brought under the purview of the law for the first time in the country, which has not been a part of any government regulation earlier.
Digital news publishers must apply for registration and do so within 90 days of the law coming into force. Digital news publishers will have to register with the Press Registrar, who will be empowered to take action in case of violations. They can cancel the registration and also impose fine.
According to officials, an appellate board has been planned with the Chairman of the Press Council of India. According to sources, the bill is yet to get approval from the Prime Minister’s Office and other stakeholders. Once this amendment is approved, digital media will come under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
In 2019 too, there was an attempt to regulate digital media under the new IT rules, due to which there was a lot of controversy. The Center then introduced a draft bill defining news on digital media as news in a digital format that can be broadcast over the Internet, computer or mobile, including audio, text and graphics. There was a lot of controversy about this and it was seen as an attempt to control the digital media.